Failure of serial human immunodeficiency virus type 1 DNA polymerase chain reactions to identify human immunodeficiency virus type 1 clade A/G

The most commonly used test to screen for human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection in HIV-exposed infants in the United States is HIV-1 qualitative DNA polymerase chain reaction (PCR). However, the commercially available HIV-1 DNA PCR lack optimal sensitivity to detect non-subtype B subtypes of HIV-1. We report here HIV-1 infection in a West African infant that went undetected by serial HIV-1 DNA PCR tests.