Spontaneous HIV Seroreversion: Real or Apparent?

A man at risk for HIV infection had positive results on an HIV antibody test that included both EIA and Western blot; however, these results were not confirmed by antigen or viral-load testing.

Use of EIA followed by confirmatory Western blot (WB) has proven to be a nearly unerring strategy for detecting HIV infection. Virtually all patients with truly reactive ELISAs, as well as antibody patterns on WB that meet diagnostic criteria, have true HIV infection. Once HIV infection is diagnosed, the tests usually remain positive throughout a patient’s life. The loss of diagnostic antibodies is extremely rare but was recently reported for a patient in the U.K.

A 22-year-old man with multiple high-risk exposures to HIV had a weakly reactive EIA screen and a negative WB. One month later, a variety of EIA tests demonstrated antibody reactivity, the WB revealed antibodies to p24 and gp160, and viral-load testing was positive (147 copies/mL).…

Reviewing Author

Charles B. Hicks, MD

Spontaneous HIV Seroreversion: Real or Apparent?

Topics

Reviewing Author