HIV DUO TEST

It said HIV DUO which looks for both HIV1 and HIV2 antibody as well as P24 antigen.
My question is, it looks for hiv1,hiv2 antibodies, what about P24 antigen? Is this P24 antigen common to both HIV1 and HIV2 or P24 antigen only refers to HIV1 alone.
Is there any chance it looks only for P24 antigen of HIV1 alone and leaves out Antigen of HIV2?

[worried826]

If you live anywhere outside of Africa you have no need to even think of HIV 2 in the first place.

[MIKE776]

Thanks for the reply,sir.
But just in case to be sure of not having HIV1 as well as HIV2, its very important to  know whether HIV duo looks for antigen of HIV1 as well as HIV2.

Can you please tell me whether the P24 antigen, the duo test looks for is common to both HIV1 and HIV2 OR just HIV1 alone.

[MIKE776]

Someone please reply. Although HIV2 prevalence rate in U.K as well as in U.S is very rare, they do exist.
I just want to know whether P24 antigen the duo test looks for is both for HIV1 & HIV2 or just HIV1 alone

[scaredstraight76]

P24 Antigen looks only for HIV-1 as far as I know.  

[Frank303]

HIV-2 would be P36 I think. I'm not clear on that or it's constituent proteins as it's so rare.
Biomerieux DUO ultra is a very good test and should be fine.

[worried826]

Dotn worry abou the antigen anyway, a single antibody test is enough i the first place so the DUO test will be a good one even if it doesnt look for HIV 2 antigens because it checks for the antibodies also.

[ECN44120]

DUO test would look for antibodies produced for hiv 1/2 and for the p24 antigen of hiv 1, anyway it would be good to tell you that the p24 antigen test is only good if its done between the 26-28 days of infection, You took the duo test 37 days after exposure, so then the antigen wouldnt matter anyway, about hiv 2 most of modern test search for hiv 1/2 and since the antobodies tests does look for antibodies not for a virus type, in the 90%% of the cases hiv2 is picked up by hiv 1 only test (becouse the antibodies are pretty alike), no need to worry, hiv2 prevalence outside sub saharian africa is less than 0,1%, thats 1of 1000 of hiv infected people has hiv2 outside subsaharian africa. so in the US where 1 million of people is infected ther would only be around 1000 people with hiv2, and in the UK the there is stimated to be like 65000 hiv positive people only be 66 hiv2 infected people

[Frank303]

The DUO combined test is recommended at 28 days due to the *combination* of Ab and Ag testing. Antigen is said to peak at 16 days then decline.
There is a 'transient period' between antigen and antibody.
An antibody test outside the window period and western blot test are need for diagnosis though.

If someone has been exposed unless they have been exposed to someone with links to West Africa or Portugal then HIV-2 is unlikely.

[Frank303]

That shgould read an antibody test taken outside the window is needed for a negative result or a positive antibody test confirmed by WB for a positive diagnosis is required.