Cytopathic Effects of Non-Syncytium-Inducing and Syncytium-Inducing Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Variants on Different CD4+-T-Cell Subsets Are Determined Only by Coreceptor Expression

In peripheral blood mononuclear cells, syncytium-inducing (SI) human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infected and depleted all CD4(+) T cells, including naive T cells. Non-SI HIV-1 infected and depleted only the CCR5-expressing T-cell subset. This may explain the accelerated CD4 cell loss after SI conversion in vivo.