Novel sulfated polysaccharides, sulfated bacterial glycosaminoglycan (Org 31581) and chemically degraded heparin (Org 31733), have proved to be potent and selective inhibitors of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in vitro. Their 50% inhibitory concentrations for HIV type 1 (HIV-1) in MT-4 cells were 0.67 and 0.52 micrograms/ml, respectively. These values are comparable to those obtained for dextran sulfate and standard heparin (0.39 and 0.89 micrograms/ml, respectively). Org 31581 and Org 31733 showed much less antithrombin activity than did dextran sulfate and standard heparin. These results indicate that the anti-HIV activity of sulfated polysaccharides can be dissociated from their antithrombin activity. Org 31581 and Org 31733 were equally inhibitory to HIV-2 and HIV-1 and were also inhibitory to the replication of human cytomegalovirus. Syncytium formation, induced by cocultivation of MOLT-4 (clone 8) cells with chronically HIV-1-infected HuT 78 cells, was also inhibited by Org 31581. As previously demonstrated with dextran sulfate and heparin, both Org 31581 and Org 31733 blocked virus adsorption to the host cells. These compounds offer great promise as candidate drugs for the chemotherapy of HIV infections.