"HIV" ANTIBODY TESTING: ASSUMPTIONS & REALITIES
by Stephen C. Byrnes, N.D., Ph.D.
http://www.naturalhawaii.com/byrnes.htm

It is commonly propagated by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), most doctors, and the health media that the so-called "HIV" antibody tests are close to 100% accurate. Whether the test used is ELISA, IFA, or Western Blot, the preciseness of the test, and of its results, are little questioned. There exist, however, scores of documented "false positives" to the "HIV" test as many different biochemical processes and substances can cross-react with the supposedly unique viral proteins of "HIV." In the scientific literature, false positives to every single "HIV" protein have been documented (39). This, of course, raises the obvious and embarrassing question for the CDC, NIH, et. al. who assert that the tests are nearly 100% accurate: how does one really know if the positive test result one receives is a genuine positive reaction to the "HIV" antibody, or simply a cross-reaction to one of a plethora of other things? Obviously, one does not; indeed, cannot. Since we natural health professionals usually question everything held as sacrosanct by the allopathic medical establishment, it is high time that we also question one of the fundamental tenets of modern day medical terrorism: that a positive "HIV" test result is
(a) valid and (b) an ominous portent of death from "AIDS." Since one of the main causes of "AIDS" is the toxic stress that a positive "HIV" antibody test engenders (65), it behooves us as therapists and practitioners to make any and all of our clients/patients who have been told they're "HIV" positive aware of the inherent faultiness of the tests. Similarly, it is our duty to inform our patients that the current "marker" tests for health in "HIV" antibody positive people, e.g., so-called "Viral Load" testing and CD4 counts, are equally invalid (67,68,69,70, 71). We must make our clients aware that they are not going to die unless they continue to believe in the current medical model of "AIDS," and follow recommended courses of "treatment" for it. Such treatments invariably involve the use of nucleoside, DNA chain terminating drugs, i.e., oral chemotherapeutic agents such as AZT, ddI, ddC, 3TC, and d4T, assorted antibiotics (given as prophylaxis against various bacterial infections) which decimate gut flora and, therefore, digestive function, various antifungals which interfere with liver function, toxic sulfa drugs, and the newer "protease inhibitors" which may increase the occurrence of immune problems due to their interference with protein metabolism and various cellular functions (72). Before giving the list, four points need to be kept in mind:
(A) Just because an item shows up on the list, does not mean that the item will always cause a false positive reaction. The overall test result depends on what antibodies an individual has, as well as their biochemical individuality. The characteristics of the test kit being used (they are not standardized) are also factors.
(B) The list does not indicate which test (ELISA, IFA, or Western Blot) the item cross-reacted with. Some items more readily cross-react with ELISA, some with WB, some with both.
(C) Point number two brings up a familiar objection from "HIV" supporters: that genuine false positives on ELISA are screened out by the "more accurate" WB test. This contention only begs the question more. The WB shows positive by virtue of accumulating enough positive bands to add up to the total number required by the criteria a lab uses to interpret it (39). Obviously, then, the more a person has been exposed to foreign antigens, proteins, and various infectious agents, the more antibodies a person will have circulating in their blood. This means an increased likelihood of cross-reacting antibodies and, therefore, an increased likelihood of a false positive WB.
(D) Following point number three, it should be remembered that the various "AIDS risk groups," (gay men, hemophiliacs, drug addicts, and some groups of Africans), but not the general population, have a number of foreign antigens and proteins in their systems for a variety of reasons (frequent sexual contacts, intake of pooled blood concentrates from countless donors, etc.). This is why people in these groups tend to have a high incidence of positive WB's, while the general population does not. Nevertheless, even those from the general populace receive positive WB's for a variety of reasons, known and unknown. It is hoped that this list will generate much discussion and thought among practitioners. Since it is obvious from the scientific literature that the HIV tests are inherently unreliable, and since an increasing number of prominent scientists are questioning the very existence of HIV, as well as all retroviruses (39, 66, 73), more attention should be paid to the non-contagious risk factors (nutritional, toxicological, and psychological) which are the most likely causes of "AIDS" and other immunosuppressive conditions which continue to affect a growing number of people.

FACTORS KNOWN TO CAUSE FALSE POSITIVE HIV ANTIBODY TEST RESULTS

Acute viral infections, including infections of DNA (59,48,43,53,40,13)
Administration of human immunoglobulin preparations pooled before 1985 (10) Alcoholic hepatitis/alcoholic liver disease (32,48,40,10,13,49,43,53)
Alpha interferon therapy in hemodialysis patients (54) Anal sex- receptive (39,64) Anti-carbohydrate antibodies (52,19,13)
Anti-collagen antibodies (31)
Anti-hepatitis A IgM (48)
Anti-Hbc IgM (48)
Anti-lymphocyte antibodies (56,31)
Anti-parietal cell antibody (48)
Anti-microsomal antibodies (34)
Anti-mitochondrial antibodies (48,13)
Anti-nuclear antibodies (48,13,53)
Anti-smooth muscle antibody (48)
Antibodies with a high affinity for polysterene used in the test kits (62,40,3)
Autoimmune diseases (44,29,10,40,49,43)
Blood transfusions, including multiple (63,36,13,49,43,41)
Candidiasis (66)
Epstein-Barr virus (37)
False positives on other tests, including syphilis (17,48,33,10,49)
Flu (36)
Flu vaccination (30,11,3,20,13,43)
Hemophilia (10,49)
Hematologic malignant disorders/lymphoma (43,53,9,48,13)
Healthy individuals (10)
Heat treated specimens (51,57,24,49,48)
Hemodialysis/renal failure (56,16,41,10,49)
Hepatitis (54)
Herpes simplex I & II (27,11)
Hepatitis B vaccination (28,21,40,43)
High levels of antibodies (40,33)
High levels of circulating immune complexes (6,33)
HLA antibodies (7,46,63,48,10,13,49,43)
Leprosy (2,25)
Lipemic serum (blood with high fat levels) (49)
Lupus (15,23)
Malaria (6,12)
Malignant neoplasms (40)
Multiple myeloma (10,43,53)
Mycobacterium avium (25)
Naturally-occurring antibodies (5,19)
Normal human ribonucleoproteins (48,13)
Organ transplantation (1,36)
Other retroviruses (8,55,14,48,13)
Passive immunization: receipt of gamma or immune globulin as prophylaxis against infection which contains antibodies (18,26,60,4,22,42,43,13)
Pregnancy in multiparous women (58,53,13,43,36)
Primary biliary cirrhosis (43,53,13,48)
Proteins on the filter paper (13)
Q fever with associated hepatitis (61)
Recent viral infection or exposure to viral vaccines (11)
Renal failure (48,23,13)
Renal transplantation (35,9,48,13,56)
Rheumatoid arthritis (36)
Serum positive for rheumatoid factor and antinuclear antibody (14,62,53)
"Sticky" blood in Africans (38,34,40)
Stevens-Johnson syndrome (9,48,13)
T-cell leukocyte antigen antibodies (48,13)
Tetanus vaccination (40)
Tuberculosis (25)
Upper respiratory infections (11)
Visceral leishmaniasis (45)

The author gratefully acknowledges research done by Christine Johnson of Zenger's California in compiling this data.

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