IL-10 has been shown to be capable of down-regulating several aspects of macrophage function. This study was undertaken to define the association between IL-10 and HIV-1 infection in human macrophages. Infection of macrophages with a monocytotropic strain of the human immunodeficiency virus, HIV-BaL, resulted in expression of IL-10 mRNA within 3 to 12 h after infection, as determined by the reverse transcriptase PCR. Biologically active IL-10 was detected in supernatants from HIV-1-infected macrophages as early as 12 h post-infection. The addition of human rIL-10 to HIV-1-infected macrophage cultures resulted in a significant decrease in the viral replication. In addition, exogenous IL-10 blocked the ability of TNF-alpha to elevate viral replication. To determine whether IL-10 was associated with in vivo infection, lymph nodes from AIDS patients were examined for the presence of IL-10 mRNA by using PCR. IL-10 mRNA was evident in all lymph node tissue examined, but was absent in normal lymph node biopsies. These in vitro and in vivo findings demonstrate a strong and heterogeneous association between HIV-1 infection and IL-10.