Diagnosing Acute HIV Infection

Acute HIV infection (AHI) represents the first 6 to 12 weeks of the disease process, when the virus is aggressively replicating in the lymphoid tissues. Accordingly, high viral loads are often present during this phase, with declining lymphocyte levels, as the CD4+ T-cell subset is preferentially commandeered to facilitate viral reproduction. Detection at this stage is imperative-the affected are often unaware, but highly infectious. Unfortunately, correct diagnosis of AHI can be challenging because the more traditional, frequently used tests, which rely on antibody detection, will often produce false-negative results during the "window period" (usually 3 to 4 weeks from infection) due to slow production of HIV antibodies. Consequently, testing with fourth-generation antibody-antigen and viral nucleic acid polymerase chain reaction modalities, which can yield positive results within 5 to 7 days of infection, is vital in the context of any significant concern for AHI. [Pediatr Ann. 2017;46(2):e47-e50.].