Low concentrations of HIV-1 DNA at birth delays diagnosis, complicating identification of infants for antiretroviral therapy to potentially prevent the establishment of viral reservoirs.

Among infants exposed to human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1), detection of viral infection at birth was increased by 39% (95% confidence interval, 19%-47%) by increasing DNA input from dried blood spots into polymerase chain reaction. Infants with low concentrations of HIV-1 at birth may be the best target population to evaluate whether immediate antiretroviral therapy can prevent long-term infection.