Acute Fatal HIV Encephalitis with Negative Serologic Assays for Antibody and Antigen: Diagnosis by Polymerase Chain Reaction

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Abstract
To the Editor: The polymerase chain reaction is a recently developed method of amplifying specific DNA sequences enzymatically.1 , 2 Its high sensitivity and specificity, together with its requirement of only minute amounts of blood as well as of paraffin-embedded tissue, make polymerase chain reaction a promising technique for clinical diagnostic studies. In the diagnosis of HIV infection, the polymerase chain reaction in serum or white cells has proved particularly useful during the initial weeks or months of infection, a period during which antigen and antibody studies may be negative.3 4 5 6 We recently examined a 37-year-old man with a history of intravenous drug . . .