What is Acute HIV infection?

Acute HIV infection: The body's initial reaction to infection by the HIV virus. Acute HIV infection is a flu-like syndrome that occurs immediately after a person contracts HIV (the human immunodeficiency virus 1, the agent that causes AIDS). The syndrome is characterized by fever, sore throat, headache, skin rash and swollen glands ( lymphadenopathy).

This syndrome precedes seroconversion -- the development of detectable antibodies to HIV in the blood as a result of the infection. It normally takes several weeks to several months for antibodies to the virus to develop after HIV transmission. When antibodies to HIV appear in the blood, a person will test positive in the standard ELISA test for HIV.