HIV RT PCR

Dear all, thank yor for all of you answering ..I am having most difficult time of my life.

I went to doctor after 2 weeks having sex HIV test come back negative. And after 4 weeks doctor got some blood and she said she will perform HIV RT PCR test..

1) What is HIV RT PCR test? what is the difference between hiv antibody test and HIV RT PCR test?

2)I have yellow tongue and white patches which doctor said is hairy Leukoplakia. I am really worried about this hairy leukoplakia thing...as i read hairy Leukoplakia occurs later stages of AIDS of HIV infection..but still it is terryfing...please help me does this hairy Leukoplakia occur normal health people?....

Thanks in advance.  

[o_g]

HIV RT PCR is a super sensitive test which will give 100% conclusive result for the strains it tests for. So, if I were you and with my current knowledge base, I would ask the lab before testing what all subtypes they test for. The test for which teak has given the link does look for all subtypes from A through G. But, you have to remember to get that information first hand from the lab you are testing at because these labs care for nothing more than pocketing worried people's money. They don't care if the results they give are truly negative because they will still write at the end of the result sheet that these tests are not supposed to be considered diagnostic tests.

It is only due to this strain specific testing that PCR's are not considered stand alone tests and antibody tests need to be followed but if you can manage to get a PCR which looks for all strains, then there is nothing better than that.

Also, remember, strain detection is not kit specific but primer specific. Many labs tweak primers to check for all strains/subtypes on kits which were originally not designed to detect those subtypes.

Hopefully, tjis info help. I trust the PCR technology. Just don't trust these friggin labs.

[o_g]

Teak, I have been trying to locate some information. Please let me know if you have any idea aout it. See, it is told by many hiv specialists that and hiv-2 infection is often caught even by hiv-1 elisa. It may give an indeterminate results.
Is it possible that same thing applies for all the Group M strains while performing a PCR test. I mean that the PCR may give an indeterminate result if the person is infected with a Group M subtype but the test in particular does not look for it. I have tried asking you this question before but never heard back. Another related query, say if a lab uses a particular primer (TaqMan, SybGreen) for DNA PCR, is it correct to assume that they use the same primer for  RNA PCR. So, in that case if the DNA PCR misses a strain, a RNA PCR will miss as well. I am not getting any literature on this. Kindly share some info....

[Teak]

I'm not going to talk about strains. We have no test at this time that would not catch any strain. All of the new tests will catch HIV2.

[Teak]

http://jcm.asm.org/cgi/reprint/40/7/2616.pdf

[kyfa]

Hello,

I recently had an encounter, and my dr. gave me a blot test. That came back negative. But I have been having ALL of the early related HIV symtoms (symptoms). I'm VERY concerned. I took a PCR test only 17 days after my encounter. The results came back negative. But I did some research and the PCR test may not show postivie if contraction was too recent. Do you know the earliest you can test with the PCR and get an acurate result? I'm going back into my DR's office tomorrow since I've been suffering from all sorts of symtoms (symptoms). All of which are related to the early stages of HIV. Im nervious as heck.

[Teak]

PCR-RNA tests have to be followed up with an antibody test. Wasted of money. If you hand unprotected anal or vaginal sex test 3 months post exposure and it will be conclusive.

[kyfa]

It was protected... But I still have all kinds of related symtoms (symptoms) that started about a week after. Pain in lymphnodes, (groin, neck, elbow, behind knees, chest) night sweats, itchy rashes.. weight loss, major fatigue. Its been 33 days after my experience, and the symtoms (symptoms) have not gone away. Im heading into the dr's again tomorrow to demand another test me done. So what your saying is, the original blot and PCR test I did would not have conclusive results based off the test being to premature?

[kyfa]

oral was not protected, but the rest was.

[Teak]

You didn't have a risk. Oral sex is not a risk of transmitting HIV.

[kyfa]

The only real thing Im worried about is, I didnt provide the condom. It was provided to me, and I'm not sure its integrity. I'm still concerned with all the symtoms (symptoms) I've been feeling as of late. I'm normally extreamly healhty and since this encounter, I've been a wreck, with all the above listed symtoms (symptoms).

[stupiddumbgirlwhoshouldaknewbetter]

I still have the same tongue as you.  I am negative and tested negative a month ago at 3 months.  I actually read a doctor say today that leukoplakia (if that is indeed what you have) is also seen in people without AIDS regularly.  I have had 4 lots of antibiotics and a major infection in the last 4 months.  That sort of major dehydration, medication and the anxiety around it will explain the yellow tongue.  

My dentist has looked at mine and says that it is viral but he has seen it before and he is not freaked out by it.  Sorry to burst your bubble because I am sure that you are now convinced that you have HIV.  I was.  

I was so certain that I even rang my doctor's surgery to tell them to have loads of experts in because I was on my way in with disseminated gonorrhea (because of all my symptoms) and they all fell about laughing when they saw me!   Needless to say, I didn't even have gonorrhea!

[kyfa]

I've also had dierria for the last month.. I know it may sound like im worried about nothing. But I'm normally a really healthy person, and I've had so many symtoms (symptoms), like headaches, nausia, weight loss, night sweats, rashes, distinct lymphnode pains .. fatigue..  im just very concerned.

[stupiddumbgirlwhoshouldaknewbetter]

I am not doubting the way that you feel.  I am just saying that it is not HIV.  You did not have a risk.  I am here to tell you that I don't have HIV (or any other STD) and I have symptoms.  Gradually, my symptoms are being explained and I am beginning to see that they are caused by common bacteria and viruses.  Most likely this will be the case for you also.  Why wouldn't it be?

[kyfa]

I'm very happy to hear some positive feedback. I don't know why I would just assume that's the case. I think its because I started having symtoms (symptoms) a short time after my encounter. In my thoughts, I just put two and two together. The person I was with was not on the classiest list of individuals, so I immedeatly assumed the worst. Especially since I've read all this material about early symtoms (symptoms) of HIV. All of which I have felt. I have honestly convinced myself of the worst and am hoping for test results to prove me otherwise. I'm just very scared, and if I wasnt experiencing all these symtoms (symptoms), I honestly wouldn't even thing twice about it. There are some that get really nervous after having an encounter with someone. I probably wouldnt have even given it an after thought. But since I started feeling one symtom, then a week or so later anotehr symtom, then all of a sudden multiple symtoms (symptoms). It just all came on all at once. So thank you for your response, Thank you Teak for your responses as well. I will try to keep a positive outlook until my tests have reassured me its nothing to worry about. I have little people in my life that are depending on me to take care of them, and I would hate to negatively impact their lives.

[kyfa]

So what is the earliest you can test with the PCR and get accurate "psotive" results? That's really the question I have. How soon can I test using this method.

[Teak]

It's not the person that causes HIV it the risks YOU take that causes HIV transmission. You never had a risk and don't need testing.