Maternal HIV antibodies may interfere with Infant testing

[Mishma]

Pretty straightforward study and important information for expectant and new mothers (and fathers) who are HIV positive. If you are on treatment and compliant there is a good chance you will not transmit the virus to your child.

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/769399?src=nl_topic

From Reuters Health Information
Uninfected Infants May Carry Maternal HIV Antibodies Beyond 18 Months
   
 
By Will Boggs, MD

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) Aug 20 - A significant percentage of infants born to HIV-infected mothers still have maternal HIV antibodies well beyond 18 months of age, which is the cutoff for the surveillance case definition for HIV infection currently used by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

This means that HIV antibody tests should not be used to diagnose HIV infection before age two, according to Dr. Mavel Gutierrez from Florida's University of Miami-Miller School of Medicine.

"Given the finding of delayed clearance of HIV antibodies in perinatally HIV exposed infants, the main concern is that persistence of HIV antibodies after 18 months of age may cause confusion among pediatricians causing children to be misclassified as HIV infected when they are not," Dr. Gutierrez told Reuters Health by email.

Dr. Gutierrez and colleagues describe the timing of seroreversion among 744 HIV-exposed uninfected infants born since 2000, as documented by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).

In just over a third of the infants (273, 36.7%) included in the July 31 Clinical Infectious Diseases online report, antibody loss had occurred by their first ELISA test. The median age of seroreversion was 13.9 months........

[Ann]

How is this news?

[Mishma]

Surely a rhetorical question from you Ann.

[Solo_LTSurvivor]

Surely a rhetorical question from you Ann.

Seriously?  Was it really justified being snarky with a moderator of these forums?  The last time I checked, this sub forum was supposed to be used by all members here and not one singular person, since you seem to think this one belongs exclusively to you.  There are at least 22 topics started by you alone on the front page.

What on earth do you do; meaning do you just sit and constantly google to post scientific journals all day to post here?  Don't answer.  That was a rhetorical question 

[Ann]

Surely a rhetorical question from you Ann.

I was genuinely curious as to why you thought this was news and therefore deserved its own thread in the Research NEWS & Studies forum. We've known the contents of that article for years now.