Hello, 

Probably a typing mistake.

Usually, it is counted in copies per mL and the target is ''as low as possible'', preferably ''undetected''.

Hello...

It should be HIV RNA copies per ml (milliliter), CD4 count is usually measured in mm^3. I think the papers have mixed up units.

Less than 50 copies/ml means that the quantitative assay (technique or the machine) can detect if the number of HIV copies are equal or more than 50 copies in one ml. So less than 50 copies/ml means any thing below from 49 to 0 copies per ml.

Hope this also helps you. Best regards

In simple explanation, HIV RNA copies is a measure of the virus itself, while CD4 count targets the T lymphocytes population.A reduction in HIV RNA copies population is an indication of suppression of viral replication while an increase in CD4 count population is an indication of improvement of immune system.CD4 count is for T lymphocyte while HIV RNA copies is for the virus itself.

Hope this also helps you.Best regards.

Here you go, WHO patient monitoring guidelines. 

http://www.who.int/hiv/pub/guidelines/arv2013/art/artmonitoring/en/index3.html

Thank you very much for the help!

 I did wrong my (previous) calculation and I appologize for that, 1 ml of watery solution occupies 1 cubic centimeter (not 1 cubic mllimeter), so I agree with the first colegue, it must be a typing error.

Usually HIV viral load is expressed in copies per mililiter.

HIV viral load is counted in mL and not mm3.

1ml = 1000 mm3 = 1cm3

Best regards.

Nouhoum

HIV viral load should  be mentioned in copies/ml.