Dideoxynucleosides are less inhibitory in vitro against human immunodeficiency virus type 2 (HIV-2) than against HIV-1

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Abstract
The antiviral activities of various dideoxynucleosides against LAV strains of human immunodeficiency viruses type 1 (HIV-1) and type 2 (HIV-2) were evaluated. Significantly more 3'-azido-3'-deoxythymidine was required to inhibit the replication of HIV-2 than HIV-1 in three human cell lines. HIV-2 also appeared more resistant than HIV-1 to other dideoxynucleosides. These results suggest that dideoxynucleosides may be less effective in vivo for HIV-2 infection and that a broader range of clinical isolates of human retroviruses should be examined for drug susceptibility in vitro.