Marked differences in quantity of infectious human immunodeficiency virus type 1 detected in persons with controlled plasma viremia by a simple enhanced culture method

Culture of autologous CD4 lymphocytes from peripheral blood mononuclear cel ls compared favorably with two other methods for the measurement of cell-as sociated human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1). For subjects with und etectable HIV-1 RNA levels in plasma, there was a 10,000-fold range of cell -associated virus detected. This method provides a simple and reproducible means for monitoring cell-associated HIV-1.