HIV Test

HIV test can be conducted to see if you contracted HIV and in the process find ways to combat them. HIV tests can be conducted at your own home or in lad, with professionals ensuring the most accurate results.

There are a few types of HIV tests. The most common HIV test is the antibody test or also called ELISA (Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay) test. Antibodies are produced whenever any virus or bacteria enters a person’s body. In this case, when HIV enters a person’s body, an HIV antibody is also produced to combat the virus. So, if a person’s blood is tested to be positive of the antibodies, it means the person is infected with HIV. However, a person who is tested negative 3 months earlier does not mean that the person is not HIV negative. Most people only produce detectable antibodies in 1-3 months after infection. In some cases, it takes up to 6 months until the person is pronounced HIV positive. Because of this, doctors sometimes recommend another check-up after 3-6 months in order to be really accurate in ELISA test. During this period of waiting, that person should abstain from sex and refrain from any activities that may cause HIV transmission such as recreational drugs with shared equipments.

The second test is a PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) test. PCR test is a direct detection method and has a 95% confidence level after 28 days. Its direct detection method is by looking for the DNA of the HIV virus and not looking for its antibodies etc. Until now, many laboratories guarantee the success of using PCR to detect HIV. Moreover, it’s the fastest as the test result returns usually in one week. However, the only drawback is that it is expensive-more than $250 per person.

The third test is the antigen test. In any kinds of infection, antigen is a foreign body that triggers the response of antibodies. On HIV virus is the protein P24. The antigen test is almost similar to ELISA although antigen test is faster as HIV can be detected earlier.

In any case of HIV positive result, a second test would be conducted. Some of the second test is a second ELISA and Western Blot Assays. A second ELISA would use different methods and a new blood sample to test for HIV. Western Blot Assays is one of the most accurate tests to confirm the existence of HIV antibodies.

So in any case of suspicion of HIV infection, make sure you go for any check-ups listed above. It’s always better to be safe than sorry.