CORRESPONDENCE

Historical accuracy of HIV isolation

To the editor: commentary that the lymphocyte culture I tions of Barré-Sinoussi, who was the first to I appreciate the efforts of Nature Medicine,in started from the patient’s lymph node biopsy recognize the presence of a retrovirus in lym- its July 2003 issue, to maintain awareness of the died after 4 weeks. But this was anticipated as phocyte culture medium by detecting growing HIV/AIDS problems in the world, as soon as we realized that the reverse-transcriptase activ- well as its celebration of the twentieth anniver- cells were not transformed, ity and analyzing its physi- sary of the first isolation of HIV. because normal cultures of cal properties. She deserved In seeking to ensure that lessons may be the same type also die within to be named first author in learned from the international collaborative this time period. The need the paper I hastily wrote in efforts to identify the cause of AIDS, it is for succesive use of periph- April 1983 and that was important that the historical record remains eral blood mononuclear cells published the following accurate. This is why I wish to correct and to maintain a viral culture month5. On the other hand, elaborate on the recent commentary by my was therefore a likely hypoth- it is important to keep the http://www.nature.com/naturemedicine former collaborator, Françoise Barré- esis that proved to be correct. published scientific record Sinoussi1.In particular, I believe readers may The virus would later be clas- accurate and to acknowl- have been confused by statements regarding sified as non-syncytium- edge and recognize all of the the timing of events and roles and responsibil- inducing, as is usually the authors of our 1983 paper, ities of the participants, especially if they com- case for viruses isolated from as well as our collaborators pare her version of the 1983 events at the recently infected HIV patients who are either and colleagues who worked with us in the Pasteur Institute to my own published asymptomatic or present with lym- following months and years to investigate reports2,3.I realize that some details of this phadenopathies. However, the first typical this new and deadly disease. collective work may have faded from the cytopathic effect, formation of large syncytia, memory of its contributors; however, original was not observed until 5 months later, in a COMPETING INTERESTS STATEMENT The authors declare that they have no competing documents such as laboratory notebooks and third clinical sample (HIV LAI) from a patient financial interests. earlier eyewitness accounts remain available. who had full-blown AIDS. The figure in The statement by Barré-Sinoussi that “we Barré-Sinoussi’s commentary refers to this Luc Montagnier

© Group 2003 Nature Publishing were convinced that we were dealing with a third clinical isolate and should not be attrib- World Foundation for AIDS Research & new retrovirus” should be viewed more as a uted to the first isolated virus. Prevention, United Nations Educational, sequence of events. Our group at the Pasteur The tedious and patient work of the electron Scientific and Cultural Organization, Institute, which initially included myself as microscopist Charles Dauguet is rightly 1 Rue Miollis, 75015 Paris, France. founder and head of the viral oncology unit, acknowledged in the story accompanying the e-mail: [email protected] Jean Claude Chermann as laboratory chief commentary4.However, the analogy between and Françoise Barré-Sinoussi as research asso- lymphadenopathy-associated virus (LAV) and Barré-Sinoussi replies: ciate, was looking for a virus like human T- the animal lentiviruses became clear only in In his response to my commentary, Luc lymphotrophic virus (HTLV). This had June 1983, on the suggestion of my virologist Montagnier raises two main points. First, already been suggested by Robert Gallo and colleague, Oswald Edlinger. At that time, Gallo according to his memory, in the early 1980s was first proposed to us by Jacques Leibovitch still maintained that an HTLV-like virus was we were looking for an HTLV-like virus. and Paul Prunet from the Pasteur Institute. the cause of AIDS, leading to a harsh scientific Indeed, the hypothesis that the AIDS virus Besides immunofluorescence, a key experi- controversy. Our expanded team was accumu- might be an HTLV-like virus was attractive, ment in elucidating the nature of the reverse- lating data indicating that LAV was the cause of and was being tested at the same time by transcriptase activity in the medium of the AIDS and related syndromes: their tropism for Gallo and colleagues. However, at least for first culture (BRU) was the specific immuno- CD4+ T lymphocytes, isolation of the same some of us, other hypotheses were not precipitation of a 35S-labeled 25-kDa protein type of virus from African patients and hemo- excluded. To my own recollection, this is why (now called p24Gag) by patient serum and not philiacs, and epidemiological correlation we were collecting cell-free supernatants and by antibodies to HTLV p24. It was only when between antibodies against LAV proteins and looking for reverse-transcriptase activity our putative retrovirus did not react with the the disease. Meanwhile, Gallo and his cowork- early after starting the cultures and every 2 or HTLV antibodies that we realized that it was a ers (in particular Mikulas Popovic) isolated 3 days thereafter, instead of simply waiting new kind of retrovirus. viruses similar to ours, and in early 1984 for the establishment of HTLV-immortalized The initial clinical isolate, unlike HTLV,had brought forth more convincing evidence for cells and looking for HTLV sequences in the no transforming or cytopathic effects on T their causal relationship with AIDS. patients’ cell cultures. In addition, as indi- lymphocytes. Barré-Sinoussi notes in her I do not wish to minimize the contribu- cated in our laboratory notebooks, reverse-

NATURE MEDICINE VOLUME 9 | NUMBER 10 | OCTOBER 2003 1235