Primary isolate is a pure microbial or viral sample that has been obtained from an infected individual, rather than grown in a

laboratory A laboratory (; ; colloquially lab) is a facility that provides controlled conditions in which scientific or technological research, experiments, and measurement may be performed. Laboratory services are provided in a variety of settings: physici ...

. In chemistry and

bacteriology Bacteriology is the branch and specialty of biology that studies the morphology, ecology, genetics and biochemistry of bacteria as well as many other aspects related to them. This subdivision of microbiology involves the identification, classific ...

, the verb ''isolate'' means to obtain a pure chemical, bacteriological or viral sample. The noun 'isolate' refers to the sample itself. According to the 'Bulletin of Experimental Treatments for AIDS, Year-End, 1999' glossary,AEGiS-BETA: Glossary - Year-End, 1999
a primary isolate is "

HIV The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of '' Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the immu ...

taken from an infected individual, as opposed to that grown in a laboratory."

References

HIV/AIDS {{Microbiology-stub