Phenotypic mixing between human immunodeficiency virus and vesicular stomatitis virus or herpes simplex virus.

Superinfection of H9 cells persistently infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) with thermolabile vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) or herpes simplex virus (HSV) led to the synthesis of hybrid progeny. These phenotypic mixtures were able to infect HeLa or Chinese hamster ovary cell lines, leading to the production of HIV p24 antigen and infectious HIV. This production was abrogated by prior incubation of the phenotypic mixtures with antiserum against VSV or HSV, as well as by incubation of the mixtures at 39 degrees C for 10 h. These results demonstrate that during coinfection of cells with either a RNA or DNA virus, HIV forms hybrid virions composed of the genetic information of HIV and the envelope glycoproteins of the coinfecting viruses.