Hello Dr I have been diagnosed with Mac lung disease after 6 months of symptoms undiagnosed.I also have been concerned about an exposure to hiv about 6 wks prior to mac symptoms developing. hiv tests have been negative out to 6 mths and my physician is not recommending any other tests that detect virus , rather than antibody tests. It is strange that i would acquire this disease so soon after an exposure and i at least would like to be confident that the hiv testing i have done is conclusive. It is all very coincidental but the other thing is if i had hiv would it be possible that my immune system would drop down so quickly to allow a mac infection to take hold.my only guess is major stress at the time may have lowered my immune system to the point of mac taking hold. Is this possible ?

Hello,

I'm not exactly sure what you mean by being diagnosed with MAC lung disease. However, what is very clear is that whatever is going on in your lungs has nothing to do with HIV/AIDS. Your repeatedly negative HIV-antibody tests out to six months are definitive and conclusive. I agree with your doctor: No further HIV tests are warranted. It's also worth noting that HIV-related MAC is a late-stage opportunistic illness occurring many years after primary HIV infection.

Dr. Bob