Section 7.10
Virology

SITUATION: A patient tested positive for HIV-1 infection using a reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) method. However, 1 week later a second blood sample was collected and sent to a reference lab that performed a confirmatory test by Western blot. The Western blot test was negative. What best explains these results?

The samples for RT-PCR and Western blot were not from the same patient RT-PCR is more sensitive for early detection The RT-PCR result was falsely positive The RT-PCR test detected HIV-2 and the Western blot is specific for HIV-1