Inclusion Criteria

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

- Diagnosis of HIV-1 by ELISA, Western blot, polymerase chain reaction, or other
documentation

- Must have had 1 of the following AIDS-defining illnesses:

- Opportunistic infection

- Opportunistic malignancy (excluding CNS involvement)

- CD4 T-cell count less than 200/mm^3 (but currently greater than 20/mm^3)

- Receiving antiretroviral therapy

- No concurrent Kaposi's sarcoma

- Prior Kaposi's sarcoma in complete response allowed

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age

- 18 and over

Performance status

- Karnofsky 80-100%

Life expectancy

- Not specified

Hematopoietic

- Absolute granulocyte count greater than 1,000/mm^3*

- Hemoglobin at least 10 g/dL*

- Platelet count greater than 50,000/mm^3* NOTE: *Transfusions and growth factors
allowed in order to increase or maintain counts

Hepatic

- No major hepatic dysfunction evidenced by encephalopathy, ascites, or varices

- Bilirubin no greater than 2 mg/dL

- INR no greater than 1.5

Renal

- Not specified

Cardiovascular

- No prior angioedema

- No uncontrolled hypertension (i.e., diastolic blood pressure greater than 115 mmHg)

- No unstable angina

- No New York Heart Association class III or IV heart disease

- No congestive heart failure

- No coronary angioplasty within the past 6 months

- No myocardial infarction within the past 6 months

- No uncontrolled atrial or ventricular cardiac arrhythmia

Pulmonary

- No history of seasonal or recurrent asthma within the past 10 years

- No concurrent asthmatic symptoms (e.g., wheezing) related to a current respiratory
tract infection

Immunologic

- No prior positive allergy test (skin or radioallergosorbent test) for insect venoms

- No known allergy to E. coli-derived products

- No prior anaphylactic events manifested by disseminated urticaria, laryngeal edema,
and/or bronchospasm

- Drug allergies manifested solely by rash and/or urticaria allowed

- No recurrent urticaria (isolated episode of urticaria allowed)

- No other active uncontrolled infection (including one with current symptoms of
bronchoconstriction)

- No fever of 38.2° C or higher

- Fevers due to B symptoms allowed

Other

- Not pregnant or nursing

- Negative pregnancy test

- Fertile patients must use effective contraception

- No prior or concurrent CNS malignancy

- No poorly controlled diabetes

- No other significant nonmalignant disease

- No other malignancy except those in stable partial response or stable complete
response (no evidence of progressive disease for at least 8 weeks after therapy for
the malignancy)

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy

- See Hematopoietic in Patient Characteristics

- No prior stem cell factor

- No concurrent interleukin-11 for thrombocytopenia

Chemotherapy

- No concurrent chemotherapy for malignancy

Endocrine therapy

- Not specified

Radiotherapy

- Not specified

Surgery

- Not specified

Other

- No concurrent enrollment on any other protocol utilizing an investigational drug

- No concurrent beta adrenergic blocking agents