Perinatally human immunodeficiency virus-1 infected children born to low risk mothers who tested antibody negative during pregnancy: three cases.

Current Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommendations suggest all pregnant women have human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) antibody testing early in pregnancy. For women with specific identified risks for HIV-1 infection, the CDC recommends repeat testing in the third trimester. We report 3 cases of infants perinatally infected with HIV-1 whose mothers tested negative for HIV-1 during the first trimester of pregnancy. Because they were not considered to be "high risk" for HIV-1 infection, they did not have a third trimester HIV test. These cases suggest that repeat HIV antibody testing may be necessary to avoid cases of perinatal transmission that might be prevented with antiretroviral treatment during pregnancy.