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Repeatedly False-Negative Rapid HIV Test Results in a Patient with Undiagnosed Advanced AIDS
- Patricia Brown, MD;
- Joseph R. Merline, PhD;
- Diane Levine, MD; and
- Lucio Román Minces, MD
- From Wayne State University, Detroit, MI 48201.
Background: The OraQuick ADVANCE (OraSure Technologies, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania) is useful for point-of-care testing, particularly when patients are unlikely to return for their results. It has been reported to have diagnostic sensitivity and specificity similar to or higher than those of standard serologic testing when screening certain populations (1). However, OraQuick can yield false-negative results when used in patients receiving highly active antiretroviral therapy who have fluctuating levels of antibodies (2) and when used to screen asymptomatic patients with unknown HIV status (1, 3), particularly those with early HIV infection (4).
Objective: To describe a patient with persistently false-negative rapid HIV test results despite a classic clinical presentation of AIDS.
Case Report: A 28-year-old man was seen in our emergency department multiple times within 9 months. On 3 occasions, separated …
