HIV Test Validation?

The difficulty in isolating HIV from sick patients leads directly to the question, "How can we be sure a positive HIV test means the patent actually has HIV in his or her body?" Australian scientists contend that, without the "gold standard" of the isolated retrovirus itself, one cannot be sure, nor can the tests be properly validated.

A presentation given by Dr. Valendar Turner to staff of the New York Assembly Health Committee describes the validation problem regarding HIV testing, using 24 slides with accompanying text explanation. It can also be obtained at the Perth Group web site. See under "Diagnosing HIV in mothers and infants as a PowerPoint presentation.

The Perth Group web site also includes many of their published scientific papers, which go into this issue and other AIDS-related matters in detail.

A Canadian web site has a comprehensive description of problems with HIV testing.