Undiagnosed acute HIV infection identified through RNA testing of pooled serum samples obtained during a dengue outbreak in São Paulo, Brazil

INTRODUCTION: Improving HIV diagnostics and treatment is necessary to end the AIDS epidemic. Pooled plasma can be used to identify patients with acute HIV disease, even before serological tests. During dengue outbreaks, patients having symptoms common to other acute viral diseases might seek medical care. METHODS: We evaluated HIV RNA in pooled seronegative dengue samples. RESULTS: After excluding individuals with a known HIV diagnosis, an HIV-1 prevalence of 0.73% [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.23-1.76; 4/546 samples] was found. CONCLUSIONS: Promoting strategies to diagnose these individuals and provide them with medical treatment might be instrumental for controlling the HIV epidemic.