An HIV-positive patient asks you if you can tell him the chances of him progressing to symptomatic AIDS. Which one of the following tests would be most useful?
HIV PCR, a nucleic acid amplification test for HIV RNA, has recently been shown to be the most valuable test for: monitoring a patient's progress during triple drug therapy and determining the chances of progression to AIDS. A viral load of 750,000 copies per ml significantly increases the chance of progression to AIDS within 5 years. The other tests listed do not accurately predict progression to AIDS.
CD4 lymphocyte count
HIV antibody test
HIV PCR
Neopterin
Virology (RNA Virus Pa-1,2 & Miscellaneous Viruses)