[Investigation of AZT sensitivity of HIV-1 isolates from patients treated with AZT].
AZT sensitivity was investigated on 6 HIV-1 isolates by culture method. Three of the isolates derived from 2 patients treated with AZT and the others were isolated from patients not treated with AZT. Cultures of 2 isolates (005 and 038) from a patient not treated with AZT did not show cytopathic effect (CPE) in the presence of 0.1 microM or 1.0 microM AZT. Meanwhile, cultures of isolate (043) from a patient treated with AZT for 2 months showed CPE in the presence of 0.1 microM AZT. Furthermore, cultures of isolates from patients treated with AZT for 6 months (043-2) and for 4 months (091) showed CPE in the presence of 1.0 microM AZT. HIV-1 p24 antigen was not detected by ELISA in the supernatants of cultures which did not show CPE. However, HIV-1 p24 antigen was detected in the culture supernatants which showed CPE. These results demonstrated that isolates from patients treated with AZT contained AZT-resistant variants which could replicate in the presence of 1.0 microM AZT.