Diagnosis of Infection with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus

It has become increasingly important for the clinician and epidemiologist to have sensitive and specific methods to establish the presence or absence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. The ELISA, western blot, and antigen-capture tests have become widely used. Very recently, use of the polymerase chain reaction, which is capable of detecting single viral genomes in peripheral blood mononuclear cells, has generated considerable excitement. Dr. John P. Phair, Chief of the Section of Infectious Diseases of the Department of Medicine at Northwestern University Medical School, and his colleague, Dr. Steven Wolinsky, have pioneered the development of the polymerase chain reaction for early detection of HIV infection. In this AIDS Commentary, Drs. Phair and Wolinsky give their perspective on the use of this test to diagnose HIV infection.