False-positive HIV Test: Implications for the Patient

Abstract

To the Editor. —Of the first 15 persons referred to our center for a therapeutic recombinant gp120 vaccine trial, two were in fact not infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Undocumented patient reports of a positive test for HIV infection must be confirmed prior to therapeutic interventions, especially if patients lack clinical manifestations of HIV disease. Report of Cases.—Case 1. —A 35-year-old heterosexual man contracted genital herpes simplex following vaginal intercourse with a prostitute. Three weeks later, he was tested for HIV at an anonymous testing center and told he was positive. Despondent, he did not return for results of a repeat test. Over 3 years, he sold most of his possessions, avoided dating, abstained from intercourse, ceased seeking to advance his career, and significantly increased his use of ethanol. The patient had a CD4 cell count of 0.87×10 9 /L (869/μL) on two occasions. He declined