Question
Will someone always test HIV positive – even with an undetectable viral load? – updated answer!
5 September 2018. Related: All topics, CD4 and viral load.
If you have achieved undetectable level and have been so for a period of say 6 months, and then were to have an HIV test at another clinic where they don’t know your positive status, would the test come back as negative because you are undetectable or would it still be reactive?
Answer
For nearly everyone, the HIV tests will still be HIV positive.
This is because HIV tests look for an immune response (called an antibody).
Even if there was an HIV cure – and this might be found one day – your antibody response is always likely to test HIV positive (i.e. be reactive).
Some HIV negative people in early HIV vaccine trials, test HIV positive on an antibody test because of their immune response, even though they do not have HIV infection.
An exceptions if for people who start HIV treatment (ART) within a few weeks or months of their infection. After being on ART for several years, people who used very early treatment, can sometimes test HIV negative with “rapid” HIV tests.
This report includes details of a study reporting very early ART and several years of viral suppression can result in testing HIV negative using rapid HIV tests.
Treating HIV even earlier – within days of infection – means that some HIV positive people never test positive on an HIV antigen test. This is even though viral load (RNA and DNA) has shown they are positive. A study in Bangkok was able to diagnose some gay men in very early infection. Immediate ART meant that many of these people never tested HIV positive – until they had a treatment interruption as part of a cure study.
Cases of sero-reversion (HIV positive people who later test negative) have also been reported for some babies treated immediately after birth.
This answer was updated in August 2018 and December 2017 from a Q&A first posted in June 2001.
Hi Thuli,
This could be a false positive, or your boyfriend could have contracted HIV in between his second negative test and the now positive test. What he should do is have another test. If possible he could also ask for a viral load test.
My boyfriend tested negative after 10 months of exposure and then went to test after 12 weeks after the 1st test and the results came back negative again…he just went now and the results were positive. How is that possible
Hi Oluchi,
The following are infant feeding guidelines from the World Health Organisation. The explain all that you need to know with regards to feeding options for babies when a mother is positive:
http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/10665/246260/1/9789241549707-eng.pdf?ua=1
Can you breastfed if your viral load is zero
Hi Boitumelo,
If your test is conclusive, you’ll need to start meds. Have you been told about this? Is there anyone you can talk to?
If you have any specific questions, please email us.
I got tested again and it still came back positive.
Hi Boitumelo,
If all of your sexual partners have been negative, then it may help to have another test. If it comes back as positive then please get back in touch.
Hi, in 2016 June I had unprotected sex it was a one night stand, and fell pregnant before I could even know that I was pregnant I went on to sleep with my bf, months later I went on to get tested and found out that I was HIV positive but both guys are negative and I’ve been testing negative all this time before. So I don’t understand how I got infected.
Hi Gugu,
What this means is that you were positive before you met your boyfriend.
For how its possible to test positive when a partner tests negative, please see Q5 5 here:
http://i-base.info/qa/what-are-the-most-asked-questions
I have a question, I tested positive and my boyfriend tested negative. We’ve been together for 5 years having sex without using condoms I’ve never been with someone else ever since we were together, how is that possible?