{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,4]],"date-time":"2026-05-04T05:21:07Z","timestamp":1777872067750,"version":"3.51.4"},"reference-count":15,"publisher":"BMJ","issue":"4","content-domain":{"domain":["bmj.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["BMJ Case Rep"],"accepted":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,19]]},"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,4]]},"abstract":"<jats:p>\n                    False-positive HIV-2 serology poses a diagnostic challenge, particularly in chronic infectious or inflammatory diseases that induce polyclonal B cell activation. Leprosy, caused by\n                    <jats:italic>Mycobacterium leprae<\/jats:italic>\n                    , is one such condition known to produce immunologic cross-reactivity with HIV antigens. We report the case of a woman in her seventh decade with multibacillary Hansen\u2019s disease in a Type 1 (reversal) reaction who showed reactivity for HIV-2 antibodies on a fourth-generation chemiluminescent immunoassay despite having no risk factors for HIV-2 infection. She was clinically stable on multidrug therapy (MDT), and a confirmatory qualitative real-time PCR for HIV-2 RNA was negative, confirming a false-positive result. Laboratory tests showed mild anaemia and leucocytosis with normal hepatic and renal function. She was treated with corticosteroids while continuing MDT, with improvement over 3\u2009weeks. This case highlights the need for confirmatory nucleic acid testing in hypergammaglobulinaemic states to avoid misdiagnosis, unnecessary therapy and social stigma.\n                  <\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1136\/bcr-2025-271642","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,30]],"date-time":"2026-04-30T17:35:26Z","timestamp":1777570526000},"page":"e271642","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1136\/crossmarkpolicy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["False-positive HIV-2 serology in a patient with multibacillary leprosy"],"prefix":"10.1136","volume":"19","author":[{"given":"Kirti","family":"Deo","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Dermatology, Dr D Y Patil Vidyapeeth (Deemed to be University), Pune, Maharashtra, India"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0004-8697-0549","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Anushka","family":"Agarwal","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Dermatology, Dr D Y Patil Vidyapeeth (Deemed to be University), Pune, Maharashtra, India"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Yugal","family":"Sharma","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Dermatology, Dr D Y Patil Vidyapeeth (Deemed to be University), Pune, Maharashtra, India"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Sathwik","family":"Ramesh","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Dermatology, Dr D Y Patil Vidyapeeth (Deemed to be University), Pune, Maharashtra, India"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"239","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,30]]},"reference":[{"key":"2026043010351898000_19.4.e271642.1","first-page":"501","article-title":"Global leprosy (Hansen disease) update, 2023: Elimination of leprosy disease is possible \u2013 Time to act!","volume":"99","year":"2024","journal-title":"Weekly Epidemiological Record"},{"key":"2026043010351898000_19.4.e271642.2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/S0140-6736(04)15952-7"},{"key":"2026043010351898000_19.4.e271642.3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/S1473-3099(06)70493-5"},{"key":"2026043010351898000_19.4.e271642.4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1093\/cid\/ciq248"},{"key":"2026043010351898000_19.4.e271642.5","first-page":"64","article-title":"Detection of new HIV cases under epidemic control - when is it the right time to review HIV testing algorithms for countries nearing the 95-95-95 milestones? Case study -Botswana","volume":"19","author":"Tapologo","year":"2025","journal-title":"Afr J Infect Dis"},{"key":"2026043010351898000_19.4.e271642.6","first-page":"151","article-title":"Recent advances in molecular biology of leprosy","volume":"79","author":"Katoch","year":"2007","journal-title":"Indian J Lepr"},{"key":"2026043010351898000_19.4.e271642.7","first-page":"125","article-title":"Leprosy as cause of false-positive results in serological assays for the detection of antibodies to HIV-1","volume":"59","author":"Andrade","year":"1991","journal-title":"Int J Lepr Other Mycobact Dis"},{"key":"2026043010351898000_19.4.e271642.8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1093\/infdis\/169.2.296"},{"key":"2026043010351898000_19.4.e271642.9","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"137","DOI":"10.47276\/lr.78.2.137","article-title":"Serum samples from patients with mycobacterial infections cross-react with HIV structural proteins Gp41, p55 and p18","volume":"78","author":"Hussain","year":"2007","journal-title":"Lepr Rev"},{"key":"2026043010351898000_19.4.e271642.10","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1128\/JVI.74.3.1554-1557.2000"},{"key":"2026043010351898000_19.4.e271642.11","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1016\/j.idcr.2020.e00886","article-title":"Falsely positive fourth generation ADVIA Centaur\u00ae HIV Antigen\/Antibody Combo assay in the presence of autoimmune hepatitis type I (AIH)","volume":"21","author":"Robinson","year":"2020","journal-title":"IDCases"},{"key":"2026043010351898000_19.4.e271642.12","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1016\/j.idcr.2020.e00849","article-title":"High positive HIV serology results can still be false positive","volume":"21","author":"Reid","year":"2020","journal-title":"IDCases"},{"key":"2026043010351898000_19.4.e271642.13","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.3390\/v15051161","article-title":"False-Positive Screening and Confirmatory HIV Diagnostic Test in a Patient with Cured SARS-CoV-2 Infection Is Not Mediated by Env\/Spike Cross-Reactive Antibodies","volume":"15","author":"Elsner","year":"2023","journal-title":"Viruses"},{"key":"2026043010351898000_19.4.e271642.14","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"63","DOI":"10.15585\/mmwr.mm6903a2","article-title":"Trends in HIV-2 Diagnoses and Use of the HIV-1\/HIV-2 Differentiation Test - United States, 2010-2017","volume":"69","author":"Peruski","year":"2020","journal-title":"MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep"},{"key":"2026043010351898000_19.4.e271642.15","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"105189","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jcv.2022.105189","article-title":"Evaluation of the Geenius HIV 1\/2 confirmatory assay for HIV-2 samples isolated in Japan","volume":"152","author":"Shigemi","year":"2022","journal-title":"J Clin Virol"}],"container-title":["BMJ Case Reports"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/syndication.highwire.org\/content\/doi\/10.1136\/bcr-2025-271642","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,30]],"date-time":"2026-04-30T17:35:27Z","timestamp":1777570527000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/casereports.bmj.com\/lookup\/doi\/10.1136\/bcr-2025-271642"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,4]]},"references-count":15,"journal-issue":{"issue":"4","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,30]]},"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,4]]}},"alternative-id":["10.1136\/bcr-2025-271642"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1136\/bcr-2025-271642","relation":{},"ISSN":["1757-790X"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1757-790X","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,4]]}}}