Inclusion Criteria

Concurrent Medication:

Allowed:

• Short-course therapy (7 days) with oral acyclovir.
• Short-course therapy (7 days) with ketoconazole.
• Topical medications.
• Aerosolized pentamidine for prophylactic purposes.

Concurrent Treatment:

Allowed:

• Blood transfusions for hemoglobin toxicity.

Patients must have two positive HIV p24 antigen tests with titers = or > 70 picograms at least 72 hours apart and within 1 month prior to entry, the last of which must be within 2 weeks of starting therapy.

Prior Medication:

Allowed:

• Zidovudine (AZT), without cessation of therapy required due to intolerance.
• AZT therapy must be discontinued at least 30 days prior to study entry.

Exclusion Criteria

Co-existing Condition:

Patients with the following are excluded:

• Active opportunistic infection, symptomatic visceral Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) or progression of KS within the month prior to entry into the study, neoplasms other than KS, basal cell carcinoma of the skin, or in situ carcinoma of the cervix. Significant diarrhea, defined as = or > 3 liquid stools per day within the past week.

Concurrent Medication:

Excluded:

• Ongoing systemic therapy and/or prophylaxis for an AIDS-defining opportunistic infection.
• Antineoplastic therapy.
• Other experimental medications.
• Systemic chemoprophylaxis for Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia.
• Chronic (> 7 days) oral acyclovir therapy.

Concurrent Treatment:

Excluded:

• Blood transfusions unless they are for = or > grade 3 hemoglobin toxicity.

Patients with the following are excluded:

• Active opportunistic infection, symptomatic visceral Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) or progression of KS within the month prior to entry into the study, neoplasms other than KS, basal cell carcinoma of the skin, or in situ carcinoma of the cervix. Significant diarrhea, defined as = or > 3 liquid stools per day within the past week.

Prior Medication:

Excluded within 30 days of study entry:

• Antiretroviral agents including zidovudine (AZT).
• Biologic modifiers.
• Systemic corticosteroids.

Prior Treatment:

Excluded within 2 months of study entry:

• Blood transfusion except for those who have taken zidovudine (AZT) who may not have received a transfusion within the previous month.

Active drug or alcohol abuse.