Although of course to anyone who believes that there is no HIV or
that it has never been isolated, all positive 'HIV tests' are false positives,
even if you do believe, these results should be alarming.

It is despicable that in Africa the impossible outcome of an infant
testing positive while the parents test negative, is not explained by
the obvious reasons, namely that the hospital infected the child or
that the tests are simply bogus. Instead, the racist spectre of 'child rape'
is invoked, rather than the reasoned, unhysterical explanations.

Read on here: http://www.rethinkaids.info/quotes/test-false-positive.html

False Positives

Although it is often denied, there is a lot of evidence that HIV tests can generate false positives.
In fact, with no proper validation of HIV tests, it is not clear whether or not all positive HIV
tests are false positives.

"Six weeks after an occupational needle-stick injury, a 35-year-old man presented to a clinic in the
Los Angeles area for testing to rule out acute infection with the human immunodeficiency virus
(HIV). The patient had no other risk factors for HIV infection and reported having had no symptoms
suggestive of an acute retroviral syndrome. His recent medical history was notable only for his
having received an influenza vaccination 11 days before presentation.an enzyme immunoassay [ELISA]
for HIV type 1 (HIV-1) was repeatedly reactive, and the result on a Western blot assay that was
performed as part of the clinical protocol to confirm a reactive enzyme immunoassay was
indeterminate, with a single band that was positive for glycoprotein 160 (GP160).it is very
important to remind patients and clinicians that influenza vaccination may cause cross-reactivity
with HIV antibody assays. The time course for such crossreactivity remains uncertain."

Erickson CP et al. Influenza vaccination and false positive HIV results. N Engl J Med. 2006 Mar
30;354(13):1422-3.

"[on an HIV test consent form] This test will tell if I have antibodies to HIV. Having antibodies,
and therefore a positive test, does not mean I have AIDS or that I will necessarily get AIDS or any
other disease.Like many things, the tests are not perfect.Sometimes the tests may be positive even
if I do not have the infection because the test are complex and simply not perfect. This is called
a"false positive." My health care professional will explain these facts to me and will advise me and
offer me more counseling if the result is positive.The social risks of a positive test [whether true
or false positive] are that I may be thought to be infected and I could be turned down for life or
health insurance, housing, a job, or school even though such kinds of discrimination may be wrong or
illegal"
University of Michigan Hospitals HIV test consent. University of Michigan. 2006 Jan [accessed]
http://www.med.umich.edu/1libr/aha/umstdhiv26.htm.

"A recent surge in false positive results produced by a much-heralded oral HIV test has caused at
least six testing sites in Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York to shelve the test and prompted
an inquiry by federal health agencies"
Lin II R-G, Chung J. More sites drop oral HIV test. Los Angeles Times. 2005 Dec 20.

"in late 2005, HIV testing programs in multiple U.S. cities experienced apparent clusters of
false-positive rapid HIV test results using oral fluid (but not whole blood) specimens. Counselors
at these programs have expressed concern regarding the specificity and positive predictive value of
the oral fluid rapid HIV test."
Supplemental testing for confirmation of reactive oral fluid rapid HIV antibody tests. MMWR
Dispatch. 2005 Dec 16;54.

"Health officials in New York and San Francisco said yesterday that a widely used rapid test for the
virus that causes AIDS had been producing too many false-positive results.The test, called the
OraQuick Advance H.I.V. test, is the same one the Food and Drug Administration has said it will
consider approving for sale to the public for home use without a prescription. In New York, Dr.
Susan Blank, an assistant health commissioner, said that city clinics performed 3,600 to 3,700 tests
for the virus, H.I.V., each month, largely using OraQuick, and until recently they had about five
false positives a month, a rate well within the maker's prediction. But in November, Dr. Blank said,
the number shot up to 30, which was cause for concern.In San Francisco, Teri Dowling, manager of
H.I.V. counseling and testing for the public health department, said the number of false positives
there seemed to rise sharply in May. In 2005, 9,400 tests were done, and 250 were positive. Of
those, 49 appeared to be false positives, though not all have yet been confirmed.Douglas A. Michels,
president and chief executive of OraSure, said that over all the test was more than 99% accurate. In
the last year, the company received complaints of only 107 false positives out of 28,436 tests, Mr.
Michels said."
Grady D. False positives from HIV test. NY Times. 2005 Dec 10
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/10/health/10aids.html?adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1134415067
-IiZeUEsIW4Xr+Zc+sKu
1TA.

"Health officials in New York and San Francisco said yesterday that a widely used rapid test for the
virus that causes AIDS had been producing too many false-positive results.The test, called the
OraQuick Advance H.I.V. test, is the same one the Food and Drug Administration has said it will
consider approving for sale to the public for home use without a prescription. In New York, Dr.
Susan Blank, an assistant health commissioner, said that city clinics performed 3,600 to 3,700 tests
for the virus, H.I.V., each month, largely using OraQuick, and until recently they had about five
false positives a month, a rate well within the maker's prediction. But in November, Dr. Blank said,
the number shot up to 30, which was cause for concern.In San Francisco, Teri Dowling, manager of
H.I.V. counseling and testing for the public health department, said the number of false positives
there seemed to rise sharply in May. In 2005, 9,400 tests were done, and 250 were positive. Of
those, 49 appeared to be false positives, though not all have yet been confirmed.Douglas A. Michels,
president and chief executive of OraSure, said that over all the test was more than 99% accurate. In
the last year, the company received complaints of only 107 false positives out of 28,436 tests, Mr.
Michels said."
Grady D. False positives from HIV test. NY Times. 2005 Dec 10
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/10/health/10aids.html?adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1134415067
-IiZeUEsIW4Xr+Zc+sKu
1TA.

"A MAN who tested positive for HIV, the virus that causes Aids, has subsequently shown up negative
for the disease in a case that has mystified doctors.Stimpson was tested three times in August 2002
at the Victoria clinic for sexual health in central London and the results showed he was producing
HIV antibodies to fight the disease.In October 2003, after impressing doctors with his good health,
Stimpson was offered a new test, which came back negative. Further tests in December 2003 and March
last year also proved negative."
Kirkham S. Doctors baffled as HIV man 'cures' himself. The Sunday Times. 2005 Nov 13
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/printFriendly/0,,1-523-1870340-523,00.html.

"A Texas woman won a civil suit against a Houston-area hospital Wednesday that she said wrongly
diagnosed her as HIV-positive when she was about to give birth.Johnson claimed Methodist Hospital
incorrectly diagnosed her with the virus when she was 8¸ months pregnant."I felt like my whole world
was crashing down," Johnson said. "I was scared for my children. I was scared for my husband. I
didn't know if the baby was HIV-positive. I cannot tell you the emotions that went through my
head.".she went into premature labor within 24 hours of hearing the news.Doctors and nurses pumped
Johnson and her newborn son with drugs used to treat HIV.Her attorney, Stephen Buttram, said the lab
technician did not properly label her blood sample.Johnson said doctors have told her that there is
no conclusive proof that the heavy treatments her son was on will have any effect on him."
Jurors find Texas hospital negligent in HIV misdiagnosis. Click2Houston.com. 2005 Aug 25.

"[South African] Zandile Magudulela had her world turned upside down when she was told mistakenly by
nurses at KwaMashu PolyClinic that she was HIV-positive. She immediately contemplated suicide, but
tests later showed that she did not have the virus. The KwaMashu woman was mistakenly treated as an
HIV patient for more than six months. Married for nearly 20 years, Magudulela told the Daily News
that she had been on the verge of committing suicide when she was told she was HIV- positive and
that the medicine she used for more than six months was administered to HIV patients. A doctor, who
wanted to remain anonymous, confirmed that Trimoxazole tablets [a potent 'sulfa' antibiotic], which
were given to Magudulela, were mostly used by HIV patients who have a low CD4 count to prevent them
from developing pneumonia."
Mthembu B. Woman treated for HIV by mistake. Daily News (South Africa). 2005 Jul 11
http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=125&art_id=vn20050711093238288C
335472.

"Nearly eight years ago, just after Christmas in 1996, I tested H.I.V.-positive while I was on
vacation in Los Angeles.it didn't surprise me when it did. My partner had passed away from AIDS.
Before that I had been partying for about -- well, I'll be 60 on the 4th of July, so you do the
math.I took the test results back home to Hayward, Calif., and gave them to my doctor at the V.A.
clinic. He treated me for H.I.V. for the next seven and a half years. In July of this year, the V.A.
[Veteran's Administration] clinic called because its new computer software had flagged my record for
a missing diagnosis. I was asked to come in for another H.I.V. test. I found out that I was in fact
negative and apparently had never been positive.I had been seeing my doctor for at least a decade
for a bad back, a heart condition, ulcers, and I always trusted him. If he had said the sky was
purple with pink polka dots, I would have had no reason to question him. The V.A. clinic eventually
did another H.I.V. test. It was negative, but no one told me.I started telling my friends about my
diagnosis because I'd had sexual relationships with many of them. At first, I still dated: dinner, a
show, a bar, but the evenings always ended there. The minute I'd say I was positive it would be:
''It's late. I have to get up early for work.'' I started accepting that. Eventually I completely
shut off.My big fear was that I'd have to die by myself. I tried to keep people around, even if it
was as close as the telephone. People bailed out who at first said they were my friends and would
always be there.I had the symptoms of AIDS -- weight loss, diarrhea, no appetite, vomiting. They
call it being psychosomatic. I knew about the symptoms from my own lovers, from being right there,
from cleaning up the mess.The eight years I thought I was positive cost me more than 45 pounds. I
take medicine for depression and stress, even now.Two months after [my father] died, I found out I
was negative. My doctor wrote me a letter saying he took full responsibility. It was human error. My
lawyers filed a claim, and now we have to wait to see what happens. For years, I received free
meals, help with rent, free counseling and therapy from AIDS organizations. It's going to be very
tough financially now, but the relief is worth it. It feels as if somebody took an anvil off my
shoulders. I'm planning trips. I haven't felt this good in 30 years, but that doesn't mean I'm not
still mad as hell."
Malone J, Williams P. A detour before dying. NY Times. 2004 Oct 10.

"The currently used laboratory based and rapid HIV-tests show intolerably high numbers of false
positive results when used in developing countries. This is mainly due to interfering effects of
diseases virtually absent in developed countries. If this becomes widely known, such information
could destroy the whole concept of the Knowledge Protects Program. People will prefer to seek refuge
in the belief that they are among the 'false positives'. Therefore, it is not only an ethical but
also a practical requirement for the success of the program that the reliability of the rapid tests
being used is identical or even superior (i.e. more forgiving against handling errors) than those
tests used in the developed world. Fortunately, such test systems have recently been introduced to
the market. [by us!!]"
gaifar.com. 2004 Sep [accessed]
http://www.gaifar.com.

"For eight years, Hayward resident Jim Malone attended biweekly counseling sessions for men living
with HIV.He had been told in 1996 that he was HIV-positive. Earlier this month, Malone, 59, was
summoned to his doctor's office. He listened as the doctor delivered the stunning news: He is HIV
negative.Malone had arrived at the clinic in 1996 with lab results from an outside testing firm in
Southern California. Those results showed he was HIV positive. The VA did its own confirmatory HIV
test on Malone and found he was negative [but due to a list of mixups did not inform him for another
8 years]"
Guthrie J. False diagnosis of HIV discovered after 8 years: Veteran's life severely affected after
VA doctor made mistake. San Francisco Chronicle. 2004 Aug 28.
"The medical records of all rapid HIV-ELISA-positive gravidas [pregnant women] that delivered at our
hospital between January 2000 and October 2001 were retrieved.The results of the Western blot tests
were also retrieved and correlated to the ELISA results, across varying maternal characteristics..A
total of 69 patients had a positive rapid HIV-ELISA out of 9,781 deliveries. Of those, 26 were
confirmed as HIV infected by Western blot (overall HIV prevalence: 0.27%, ELISA-positive predictive
value: 37.7%). The subgroup prevalence of HIV and positive predictive value of ELISA were 1.53 and
75% among Caucasians; 2.43 and 82.6% among African-Americans; and 0.05 and 9.8% among Hispanics,
respectively (p<0.05 for the comparisons between Hispanics and non-Hispanics only).The positive
predictive value of rapid HIV-ELISA during pregnancy varies widely, depending on maternal
race/ethnicity and sexual behavior. The routine disclosure of rapid intrapartum HIV serum screening
results prior to Western blot confirmation should be avoided in very low-risk populations."
Zacharias NM et al. High false-positive rate of HIV rapid serum screening in a predominantly
hispanic prenatal population. J Perinatol. 2004 Aug 19.
"A Tanzanian man, who claims a wrong HIV diagnosis wrecked his wedding, has sued the hospital
responsible for $50,000. Ramadhani Kaya was about to go on his honeymoon when he received his
positive tests results. Mr Kaya, who says he is a very 'religious' man and could not have HIV/Aids,
retook the test three times elsewhere with negative results. But his wife's family did not believe
the new results and she returned to stay with them."
Ntetema V. 'HIV groom' sues Tanzania hospital. BBC. 2004 Aug 5
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/3537978.stm.

"34 women tested HIV-1 positive with both rapid test and EIA, and all were confirmed by Western
blot. There were 4 false positive and non false-negative rapid test results.positive predictive
value [of the rapid test] was 90% [i.e. 10% of positive results were false].The EIA had 11
false-positive results: 5 in women with an indetermineate Western blot result (usually a single p24
band) and 6 others with negative Western blot results."
Bulterys M et al. Rapid HIV-1 testing during labor: a multicenter study. JAMA. 2004 Jul
14;292(2):219-23.
"Dimitrios Garnelis and his wife, Laura, sued the [Indiana, USA] Department of Health because of a
false-positive test result Garnelis received in 1991. Until he was on a visit to Greece in July
1999, where health officials retested him before prescribing treatment, Garnelis lived under the
impression that he was HIV-positive.Separately, the Garnelises also have filed complaints against
the Bell Flower Clinic, 1001 W. 10th St., Indianapolis, where Dimitrios Garnelis had his blood drawn
for the initial test, and a physician."
Penner D. Appeals court lets man sue state over alse HIV test result in 1991. Indianapolis Star.
2004 Apr 22
http://www.indystar.com/articles/4/140257-1894-009.html.

"A cross-sectional study was conducted from January--December 1999 as screening of voluntary
non-remunerated blood donor pool for HIV in the public sector blood banks, in all the six divisions
of Balochistan. 5000 subjects were screened for the presence of antibodies against HIV-1/2. The
subjects were all males between the age group 18-50 years.Out of 5000 subjects, 48 (0.96%) were
positive for HIV-1/2 on Strategy I, 37 (77% of 48) met the criteria of false positive, while only 11
(0.22% of 5000) were found to be true positive"
Sheikh AA et al. High frequency of false positive results in HIV screening in blood banks. J Ayub
Med Coll Abbotabad. 2004 Jan-Mar;16(1):28-31.

"The overall specificity of the RevealT Rapid HIV -1 Antibody Test for serum specimens in these
studies was calculated to be 3608/3639 = 99.1%, combining the number of RevealT Rapid HIV -1
Antibody Test Non-Reactive results obtained from the study of previously screened HIV -1 antibody
negative serum specimens with the number of RevealT Rapid HIV-1 Antibody Test Non-Reactive results
obtained from the studies of high-risk populations [i.e. 1% false positives if we can assume that
other antibody tests (ELISA and Western Blot) are 100% accurate and also completely independent from
this rapid test].The overall specificity of the RevealT Rapid HIV -1 Antibody Test for plasma [i.e.
blood] specimens in these studies was calculated to be 2970/3011 = 98.6% [i.e. 1.4% of tests false
positive] combining the number of RevealT Rapid HIV -1 Antibody Test Non-Reactive results obtained
from the study of previously screened HIV -1 antibody negative plasma specimens with the number of
RevealT Non-Reactive results obtained from the studies of low -risk populations [with the same
caveats]"
Reveal rapid HIV-1 antibody test. MedMira. 2003 Dec 4
http://www.fda.gov/cber/pmalabel/P000023LB.pdf.

"A Muslim couple is suing the department of health in the Western Cape for R5-million [about
US$750,000] after their baby daughter became infected with HIV under mysterious circumstances at one
of two leading paediatric hospitals.The parents, who are both HIV-negative, say.that their
three-year-old daughter contracted the virus either at Mowbray Maternity hospital, where she was
born, or at the Red Cross Children's hospital, to which she was transferred for surgery. [the
possibility of a false-positive HIV test is not considered].'Baby A', as the papers refer to her, is
one of 14 children, all with HIV-negative parents, documented by the March 2004 South African
Medical Journal as having contracted unexplained HIV infections in hospitals."
Deane N. Parents sue health department. Mail & Guardian. 2003 Sep 4
http://www.mg.co.za/Content/l3.asp?cg=Insight-National&ao=121590.

"In a bizarre saga [in Soweto, South Africa] that has baffled medical doctors, an East Rand couple
has a baby who has been diagnosed HIV-positive, while both parents have consistently tested
negative.Doctors are baffled as to how the child got infected [and they would never consider the
possibility of a false-positive test result]. One of them, Dr Johan Pretorius, a paediatrician who
tested both the child and parents, said it was a mystery how and where the baby could have
contracted the virus."The parents are absolutely negative. I made tests on them after the baby was
diagnosed and they are HIV-negative," he said.According to the parents, their son was born healthy,
weighing 2,8kg. "He was growing well and his immunisation chart was satisfactory. He then developed
flu symptoms and we took him to the hospital, where he was diagnosed with Bronchitis," the baby's
father said.The baby's health started deteriorating and the parents decided to take him to Botselong
Hospital, in Vosloorus on the East Rand, in July 2002. It was there that they were told that the
baby had HIV symptoms [but, in Africa, fever, cough and diarrhea are taken as signs of AIDS]."
Mabena K. HIV-positive infant baffles doctors after parents test negative. Sowetan. 2003 Jan 8.
"A small but significant number of donor sera (0.1-0.3%) yield false-positive results in EIA, and
these donors must be permanently deferred from the blood donor list, causing operational and public
relations problems [This assumes that the Western Blot is completely accurate, as someone who was
also false positive on Western Blot would be categorized as true positive]"
Bouillon M et al. Reduced frequency of blood donors with false-positive HIV-1 and -2 antibody EIA
reactivity after elution of low-affinity nonspecific natural antibodies. Transfusion. 2002
Aug;42(8):1046-52.

"Among those [tested for HIV at various US STD clinics] reporting a previous positive test result
(n=740), 91% had positive test results in the serosurveys [which means that 9% either had false
negative test results this time, had previously had a false positive or had 'forgotten' their
previous death sentence].among those reporting a previous indeterminate result (n=52), 21% had
positive test results"
Weinstock H et al. Unrecognized HIV infection among patients attending sexually transmitted disease
clinics. Am J Public Health. 2002 Feb;92(2):280-3.
"In a case that raises questions about the accuracy of HIV tests, an Oklahoma man has won a $1.4
million settlement nine years after a health clinic mistakenly told him he was infected with the
virus that causes AIDS...In one of [Dr. Horberg's] own cases a few years ago, he says, a woman
insisted she could not have contracted HIV. She turned out to be right. She wasn't infected, despite
a positive test result. "We did a mega work-up, kept following her every six months, and she was
still negative," he says. "She never showed any sign of the virus, and her [immune system strength]
was better than half the U.S. population."...Some people do worry that they got the wrong test
results, Horberg says. Following the Oklahoma verdict, "I had tons of people calling and saying they
wanted to be re-tested. You re-test them if that's what it takes to convince them that it's
accurate," he says. [and they can be convinced without re-testing?]"
Dotinga R. HIV court case raises questions on test. HealthScoutNews. 2002 Jan 23.
"During a prospective study of seronegative sexual partners of known HIV-1-infected patients [4], we
identified two apparently transiently infected individuals (nos. 1 and 2) using a live-cell
immunofluorescence assay (IFA) as a test for serum anti-HIV-1 antibodies, HIV-1 DNA amplification by
PCR, and HIV-1 culture from the PBMC of the subjects (Table 1). These two were `early-infected'
individuals previously reported (identified by their blood sample codes as R6 and R78) who possessed
serum anti- HIV-1 antibodies that reacted with native HIV-1 antigens in live-cell IFA, but did not
react in the standard Food and Drug Administration-approved denatured-antigen EIA or Western blot.
These antibodies were later shown to react to conformational epitopes of HIV-1 Env (gp160) and Gag
(p55) precursor proteins, and appear to be the first antibodies induced after HIV infection
(submitted for publication) [this paper details how, for these two subjects, all evidence for the
presence of HIV disappeared even after extensive re-testing]"
Sahu GK et al. Transient or occult HIV-1 infection in high-risk adults. AIDS. 2001 Jun
15;15(9):1175-7.

"Kaushalya greets visitors with a warm welcome, hot tea and biscuits, but her big dark eyes look
sad. In the last three years, the 29-year-old woman has lost her husband and social life. ''They
broke our lives four years ago,'' she says softly while other members of the family nod. The local
hospital said that Kaushalya's husband died of AIDS. Doctors at the medical college in Rohtak city
later explained that Kaushalya and her daughter too had tested HIV-positive. The doctors pressured
Kaushalya, who was in her sixth month of pregnancy, to get an abortion because of her HIV-infection.
''By telling me a lie they made me lose my only son,'' the young widow mourns. But late last year, a
second test [probably a Western Blot or a second ELISA] showed that neither Kaushalya nor her
daughter had the AIDS virus. Other members of the family too have since been tested negative for
HIV. Like most Indian hospitals, the Rohtak hospital carried out only a single HIV test [ELISA] on
her husband. In most other nations, at least three tests with similar results [two ELISA and one
Western Blot] are required before a patient is confirmed HIV-positive. However, her family is still
well known as 'the family of Chochi's first AIDS case. ''For years we lived with the trauma that the
whole family was finished. But it all was a big fraud,'' says Kaushalya's father-in- law Mangaram
Joon."
Oberhuber N. India:Village Still to Recover from AIDS 'Stigma'. Terraviva Europe Daily Journal. 2001
Jan 15.
"Between January 1, 1989 and July 31, 1995, voluntary preoperative screening tests for human
immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, were completed
on 2,727 patients who underwent elective orthopedic surgical procedures. There were 2,719 (99.7%)
negative, 4 (0.15%) positive, and 3 (0.11%) false-positive results; 1 test was indeterminate
(0.04%)"
LaPorte DM et al. Human immunodeficiency virus testing for elective orthopedic procedures: results
in a community-based hospital. Orthopedics. 2001 Jan;24(1):52-5.

"We report the case of a sexually active woman with symptoms suggestive of ARS [Acute Retroviral
Syndrome] who had a false-positive HIV-1 RNA assay result...Laboratory evaluation revealed negative
results on HIV-1 ELISA and Western blot [antibody tests]. However, an HIV-1 RT-PCR [viral load]
assay...revealed a viral load of 623 copies/ml, through p24, gp120, and gp160 antigens were not
present. The HIV-1 RT-PCR assay was repeated and revealed a similar measurement...Subsequent studies
2 weeks later revealed an undetectable HIV-1 RNA viral load, as well as negative results on HIV-1
ELISA and Western blot serologies. Two months later, the patient's symptoms [headaches, swollen
glands etc.] had completely resolved...Four months after the onset of symptoms, the patient remained
seronegative for HIV-1 infection"
More D et al. Utility of an HIV-1 RNA assay in the diagnosis of acute retroviral syndrome. S Med J.
2000 Oct;93(10):1004-6.

"As the number of women being screened has increased, the proportion of false-positive and ambiguous
(indeterminate) test results has increased and the positive predictive value (PPV) of the standard
HIV test has decreased"
Doran TI, Parra E. False-Positive and Indeterminate Human Immunodeficiency Virus Test Results in
Pregnant Women. Arch Fam Med. 2000 Sep/Oct;9:924-9.
"[conditions associated with false positive ELISA are] autoimmune disease, renal failure, cystic
fibrosis, multiple pregnancies, blood transfusions, liver diseases, parenteral substance abuse,
hemodialysis, or vaccinations for hepatitis B, rabies, or influenza...Causes of indeterminate WB
[Western Blot] results include...nonspecific antibody reactions (eg, due to lymphoma, multiple
sclerosis, injection drug use, liver disease, or autoimmune disorders). Also, there appear to be
healthy individuals with antibodies that cross-react with specific HIV-1 peptides or recombinant
antigens...The Association of Public Health Laboratories now recommends that patients who have
minimal positive results on WB, eg, p24 and gp160 only, or gp41 and gp160 only, be told that these
patterns have been seen in persons who are not infected with HIV and that follow-up testing is
required to determine actual infective status. The clinician must judge the test results within the
context of other epidemiological and clinical information [i.e. gay men and IV drug users are likely
to be defined as positive based on this prejudice in the presence of ambiguous test results]. In the
appropriate clinical setting, positive ELISA and WB test results in patients with a normal CD4 +
count and CD4/ CD8 ratio and undetectable HIV-1 RNA should be questioned, repeated, or confirmed
with supplemented testing. A false-positive serological test result may be supported by normal CD4 +
count and CD4/CD8 ratio and undetectable HIV-1 RNA, but is ultimately established by subsequent
serological testing and, especially, close follow-up. [i.e. there is no test that can be absolutely
relied on]"
Mylonakis E et al. Report of a False-Positive HIV Test Result and the Potential Use of Additional
Tests in Establishing HIV Serostatus. Arch Intern Med. 2000 Aug 14/28;160:2386-8.