A simplified application of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to the routine detection of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) transcripts from peripheral lymphocytes of infected subjects is described. This technique is simpler than previously described assays and was shown to be highly sensitive after ethidium bromide staining of polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of amplified material. The method can be used for the virologic evaluation of HIV-1-infected subjects, thus allowing early identification of seropositive patients with signs of active infection.
