COVID-19 infection and a repeated false positivity effect in HIV testing: A case report

Abstract

Several reports in the literature have described the association between SARS-CoV-2 infection and false positive HIV testing results. We present a case of a cisgender male who has sex with men with a false positive HIV test after fully recovering from COVID-19 14 days prior. Initial 4th generation HIV 1 and 2 antibody/antigen testing was positive twice, but confirmatory antibody testing was negative. HIV viral load was persistently undetectable. Most of the previously published case reports describe concurrent testing and positivity for HIV and COVID-19. Our report stands out due to the implication of a potentially prolonged association that could persist for several weeks.

Keywords

• COVID-19
• HIV
• False positive
• Cross-reactivity