Human Immunodeficiency Virus Types 1 and 2 Exhibit Comparable Sensitivities to Zidovudine and Other Nucleoside Analog Inhibitors In Vitro

Using an indicator cell assay that directly quantifies viral replication, we show that human immunodeficiency virus types 1 and 2 (HIV-1 and HIV-2, respectively) exhibit similar sensitivities to 3′-azido-3′-deoxythymidine (zidovudine) as well as other nucleoside analog inhibitors of reverse transcriptase. These data support the use of nucleoside analogs for antiviral therapy of HIV-2 infection.