Handjob myth

Dear Doctor, my only exposure was a handjob at a massage parlour. the massager was clothed below the waist throught the session and rubbed my body with her boobs occaisionally.
Post this exposure I developed a mild fungal infection on the glans (glands) penis and decided to test myself for HIV. My elisa done at 8 weeks proved to be positive. I am awaiting my western blot test which should be tomorrow.
However I am alarmed that I could have a positve elisa even when so much is said that massage+handjob= no risk.
I did not have any penetrative Oral or Anal or Vaginal sex before.

I however took Sporanox (itraconazole) for my fungal infections. Can this lead to a false positive. Please revert I am osing my mind

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

Please accept my heartfelt conern for you health, and my hope that your preliminary test result turns out to be false.  However, if the result confirmed as true, you did not get your infection dring the exposure you describe.  Period.  If you truly have had no other exposures-- no sex with anyone in the past, no injection drug use, etc-- then most likely your test will turn out to be false positive or indeterminate.  (If you were tested in a clinic, though, they shouldn't have even given you the ELISA result until the Western blot confirmatory test was done.)

No medicine causes false positive HIV test results, including intraconazole.

Best wishes--  HHH, MD

[MDA375]

Doctor is it possible to determine the time frame during which  the infection could have been acquired. My wife had to undergo an abortion last year and I just want to rule anything out. She and me both have been faithful to each other in our 8 years of marriage

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

That's something to discuss with your own provider if your positive test result is confirmed.  I'm still betting on an indeterminate or false positive ELISA result. While you wait for the confirmatory test result, why not call the massage parlor and speak with the woman who massaged you?  If she is HIV negative, of course it would further prove she wasn't the source.

I'll be happy to discuss this further if your result is confirmed as positive, but not until then.

[MDA375]

Dear Doctor

I got my WB and repeat Elisa negative. I feel relieved. Thanks for your reassuring replies. At one moment I just sank with the false positive result. Why would a false positive occur? Would you recommend anyone to go through a test for a low/negligible risk exposure for the fear of a false test.

[Naseeb]

Sorry to interrupt, but I too went through a smiliar situation not too long ago. However, my results were indeterminate at eight weeks and it was oral swab test. I knew before the test that the provider didn't collect enough speciments and which indeed caused indeterminate results (also I chewed something like tobacco before the test, which could have caused the indeterminate results). FYI, it was been followed by seris of negative results.

Anways, congrats on your negative results. Dr. Hunter is absolutely right, there is no risk involved. This is the one of the major reason, why Dr. Hunter and Dr. Hook insists on NOT taking a test after such a low risk exposures (i.e protected sex, handjob or oral etc).

I learned my lessons the hard way and I hope that other users who are reading this post would learn and not take unnecessary tests after such a low risk exposures. Just imagine what anyone would go through if they receive false positive or indeterminate results due to lab errors.

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

Naseeb makes a good point.  Your experience is one reason that I often recommend that people not have HIV tests after exposures that cannot possibly result in HIV.  The problem with that advice, however, is that from a psychological perspective, some people need the negative test result for reassurance.  Happily, false positive results like yours are uncommon with lab-based testing.  But they are quite frequent with the rapid tests like OraQuick.

The reasons for false positive tests aren't completely understood.  Mostly it's just a glitch in the test procedure or the chemical reagents in the test kit.