A Study of Zidovudine Plus Acyclovir in HIV-Infected Patients

Exclusion Criteria Active drug or alcohol abuse. Concurrent Medication: Excluded: Any chronic systemic medications. Aspirin. Cimetidine. Flurazepam. Indomethacin. Ranitidine. Probenecid. Excluded during first 2 weeks of study: Any chronic ( > 3 days) medication. Acetaminophen and other drugs that are metabolized by hepatic glucuronidation. Prior Medication: Excluded: Zidovudine (AZT) at any time. Excluded within 14 days of study entry: Other experimental therapy. Drugs which cause neutropenia or significant nephrotoxicity. Rifampin or rifampin derivatives. Systemic anti-infectives. Excluded within 30 days of study entry: Immunomodulating agents. Excluded within 3 months of study entry: Any antiretroviral agent. Patients may not have any of the following: A gastrointestinal disturbance which may impair oral absorption. Chronic persistent candidiasis. An opportunistic infection or malignancy fulfilling the definition of AIDS-associated disease. Patients with symptoms suggestive of an opportunistic infection should be evaluated within 30 days of starting drug. Patients may not have any of the following: A gastrointestinal disturbance which may impair oral absorption. Chronic persistent candidiasis. An opportunistic infection or malignancy fulfilling the definition of AIDS-associated disease. Patients with symptoms suggestive of an opportunistic infection should be evaluated within 30 days of starting drug. All patients will have positive antibody for HIV confirmed by any federally licensed ELISA test kit; if ELISA is negative, eligibility will be confirmed by a positive Western blot. All patients will have evidence of HIV infection in the plasma as indicated by circulatory p24 antigen within 30 days prior to study entry. The symptomatic HIV infection required for inclusion is defined as at least one of the following: Temperature > 38.0 degrees C persisting for more than 14 consecutive days or more than 15 days in a 30-day interval prior to study entry without definable cause. Diarrhea, defined as = or > 3 liquid stools per day, persisting for more than 1 month prior to entry into the study without definable cause. Weight loss greater than 10 percent of body weight noted in a 120-day period prior to entry into the study. Patients with persistent generalized lymphadenopathy (PGL), defined as lymph node enlargement greater than 1 cm in diameter at two or more noncontiguous extrainguinal sites, who in addition to this adenopathy have constitutional symptoms such as intermittent fever (> 38 degrees C for less than 15 days/month), sweats, malaise, and/or fatigue will also be eligible. This patient population has to have T4 cell counts = or < 500. Potential enrollees with PGL must have two screening lymphocyte subset determinations, at least 72 hours apart, within 3 months of entry that fall in the appropriate T4 range (200 - 500 cells/mm3). If an otherwise eligible subject has one screening T4 count in the appropriate range and one that is outside this range, a third screening count will determine eligibility.