False positive viral loads occur commonly in 3 to 10% of people who are HIV
negative, with the highest reported rate being 60%.
The highest false positive viral load reported was in the range of 10,000
to 100,000 copies per milliliter, and it is possible that some values over
1.5 million also indicated false positives although no follow up data is
available for these cases.
This fact must be contrasted with the current practice of changing
antiretroviral regimens if a person's viral load does not fall below 50,
as described in Mylonakis et al.'s (2001) description of current practice
guidelines.
Matt Irwin MD
