Investigations
One of the major problems in HIV infection in infants is the persistence of maternal antibody, which can only be confidently said to have disappeared at a median age of 18 months.
Other methods are therefore employed, and include:
- polymerase chain reaction on DNA extracted from lymphocytes
- HIV culture - which can be slow and expensive
- measurement of T cell subsets
Diagnosis is usually delayed until two or three months of age, especially with the need to repeat tests to prevent false positives.
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