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Case 1: Acute (Primary) HIV Infection

You answered:

D An HIV RNA level of 120,00 copies/ml combined with a positive HIV antibody test would be diagnostic of acute HIV infection.

This answer is incorrect. Although most patients with acute HIV infection do indeed have very high HIV RNA levels, most will also have a negative HIV antibody test. Patients with chronic HIV can have very high HIV RNA levels and thus a HIV RNA level of 120,000 combined with a positive HIV antibody test is most consistent with chronic HIV infection.

Choose another answer:

A Less than 5% of persons who acquire HIV develop an acute clinical illness.
B More than 80% of patients with acute HIV present with aseptic meningitis.
C Patients recently infected with HIV typically have plasma HIV RNA levels greater than 50,000 copies/ml within 4 weeks of acquiring HIV.


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