ACTIVATION OF VIRUS REPRODUCTION IN MIXED INFECTED CAUSED BY HIV AND HERPESVIRUSES

Mutual activation of reproduction of type 1 HIV and herpes simplex typ es 1 and 2 viruses (HSV) was observed in simultaneous infection of con tinuous T-cellular lymphoblastoid lines (CEM, H9, Hut-78, MT-4, Jurkat -tat) and U-937 monocytic line. Syncytium formation and cytodestructiv e pattern of reproduction of viruses of both families in these cell li nes necessitated the use of enzyme immunoassay (EIA) to detect the ant igens of these viruses in order to assess the level of reproduction. T he concentration of HIV antigens in EIA increased in mixed infection b y 1.4 to 2.1 times in different cultures in comparison with the cultur e infected with HIV-1 alone, and concentrations of HSV-1 and HSV-2 inc reased by 1.3-1.8 times in mixed infection, in comparison with reprodu ction in lymphoblastoid cultures infected with HSV alone. EIA was alon e used to examine the production of IgG and IgM antibodies to Epstein- Barr virus, another representative of Herpesviridae family, in the blo od sera of patients with immunodeficiency states in whose sera antibod ies to proteins produced by gag HIV gene (p15/17, p24, p55) were detec ted. Increased concentration of IgG antibodies were revealed in 36% of these patients, whereas in healthy donors the sera with elevated conc entrations of IgG to Epstein-Barr virus were far less incident (12%). A hypothesis about mutual activation of HIV and herperviruses is put f orward.