Inclusion Criteria

Concurrent Medication:

Allowed:

• Antiretroviral therapy.
• Anti-PCP prophylaxis.
• Maintenance or prophylaxis therapy for other opportunistic infections besides CMV.

Patients must have:

• Working diagnosis of HIV infection.
• CD4 count <= 100 cells/mm3.
• Positive CMV serology (IgG) or CMV culture, in the absence of active disease, documented at any time prior to study entry.
• Reasonably good health.
• Life expectancy of at least 6 months.

Exclusion Criteria

Co-existing Condition:

Patients with the following symptoms or conditions are excluded:

• Acute life-threatening illness.
• Active lymphoma.
• Hypersensitivity to acyclovir.
• Lack of willingness or ability, in the opinion of the clinician, to comply with protocol requirements.

Concurrent Medication:

Excluded:

• Vidarabine.
• Amantadine hydrochloride (Symmetrel).
• CMV hyperimmune globulin/intravenous immune globulin.
• Cytarabine.
• Fiacitabine (FIAC) or fialuridine (FIAU).
• Foscarnet.
• Intravenous ganciclovir.
• HPMPC.
• Idoxuridine.
• Intravenous acyclovir.
• Oral acyclovir at > 1 g/day.
• Other drugs with potential anti-CMV activity.

Prior Medication:

Excluded within 60 days prior to study entry:

• Foscarnet.

Excluded within 2 weeks prior to study entry:

• Vidarabine.
• Amantadine hydrochloride (Symmetrel).
• CMV hyperimmune globulin/intravenous immune globulin.
• Cytarabine.
• Fiacitabine (FIAC) or fialuridine (FIAU).
• Ganciclovir.
• HPMPC.
• Idoxuridine.
• Intravenous acyclovir.
• Oral acyclovir at > 1 g/day.
• Other drugs with potential anti-CMV activity.