Human immunodeficiency viruses associated with Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), a diagnostic method for AIDS and pre-AIDS, and a kit therefor

A diagnostic kit for the detection of the presence or absence of antibodies which bind to antigens of a human retrovirus indicative of acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) or of lymphadenopathy-associated syndrome (pre-AIDS), which kit comprises a retroviral lysate which comprises antigens of said retrovirus and means for detecting the formation of immune complexes between said antigens and said antibodies, wherein the lysate and the means are present in an amount sufficient to perform said detection.

A method for detection of antibodies which specifically bind to antigenic sites of the AIDS or pre-AIDS-associated LAV virus in samples of body fluids of patients with Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) or risk of AIDS (pre-AIDS) which comprises contacting virus fractions or a virus extract or a lysate of said virus with antibodies from human sera for a time and under conditions sufficient to permit formation of antigen-antibody complexes between said virus fractions, virus extract or lysate and said antibodies and measuring the formation of said antigen-antibody complexes by ELISA (an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) or indirect immunofluorescent assay.

A method for detection of antibodies which specifically bind to antigenic sites of the AIDS or pre-AIDS-associated LAV virus in samples of body fluids of patients with Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) or risk of AIDS (pre-AIDS) which comprises contacting virus fractions or a virus extract or a lysate of said virus with antibodies from human sera for a time and under conditions sufficient to permit formation of antigen-antibody complexes between said virus fractions, virus extract or lysate and said antibodies and detecting the formation of said complexes.