Hiv test help! test vl 1/24 less 20, not detected. retest vl on 3/15, shows not detected same exact test by quest. (both negative 4th gen ab/ag). was on pep in feb for assault. does this mean it detected 1st time? why did results language change?

Very low level of detection was probably false alarm rather than true positive. The fact that you were on PEP should also be a reassurance. I hope you stay safe.

Both results are completely negative, no HIV RNA detected. You would have to ask the lab why one but not the other included the "less than 20" statement. That's what the test always show. But since almost nobody with HIV (especially a newly acquired infection) has under 20 RNA copies, it can and should be considered totally negative. If you acquired HIV and PEP didn't work, it would be thousands.