Slight worry for an expert

Hello, Ill keep things brief-

-Exposure- Im male vaginal sex protected (slightly worried if everything stayed in tact unsre through alcohol), unprotected oral giving with an african woman in africa.

-Loads of weird and wonderful symptoms from 2 months - 6 months after exposure.

-Numerous tests including HIV Duo tests at 5,10,18, 28 weeks.

Now i know thats should put my mind at rest but my skin has been very itchy now 7 months post exposure and in the last month ive had a cold and the mother of all flu bugs something Ive never had. Until latelty Ive never seemed to be ill since i was very young.

Could I posibly not have produced antibodies for the tests or is everything just a coincidence????

Any help would be great

D

[JeanClaude]

We'll keep it simple:

-You were protected through us eof a condom. If the condom had failed , *** would be quite obvious. You would have had a frayed hula -hoop around your penis.

-There is NO RISK realistically from receiving oral sex.

-Your NEGATIVE TESTS out to 28 weeks prove you are CONCLUSIVELY NEGATIVE

- Please see your Physican regarding your persistent symptoms, however , rest assured they are not HIV related


-Regards-

[nice_gathering]

Hello

If you did not have any further exposures, your HIV DUO tests upto 28 weeks are conclusive & you are HIV Negative.

As far as I know most HIV DUO tests check for both HIV1 and HIV2 antibodies (HIV2 antibdies important here as we do not know about that lady's HIV status and HIV2 is present in the Africa in greater number as compared to the USA). HIV DUO tests also check for HIV1 P24 antigen. These are highly sensitive .4th generation HIV tests.

Thanks a lot.

[Sill_Scot]

Thank you both for your comments.... I know im being silly! My immune systom is definately weaker these days maybe Im just getting old and all the stress from my experience has also contributed to this!.  Nice gathering that was my only worry.... Knowing that the duo tests for HIV1/2 and the P24 for HIV 1 my slight concern was that i had contracted HIV 2, not produced antibodies but obviously the P24 doesnt work for HIV2 so does not take look after this element!
Im probably over worrying and/or getting too technical.

Thanks again

[JeanClaude]

Just to clarify,
A DUO test (4th gen) is irrelevent after approx 4 weeks post as by this time P24 antigens would no longer be detectable. Any GEN would be just equally as effective after this period in detecting antibodies. Yes, Most Modern Tests (Gen 3,4) do detect HIV1/HIV2 antibodies. Yes, the DUO test is HIGHLY sensitive and pretty much eliminate the possibility of HIV infection , especially in light of the fact they were taken way outside the 3 month WINDOW PERIOD.

-Regards-

[nice_gathering]

Hello

Thanks Jean. HIV1 P24 will start to disappear once antibodies start developing. However there are phases in HIV infection when P24 antiginaemia recurrs (as it is actual part of the virus and high viraemia would again cause P24 antiginaemia). Hence it is NOT necessarily irrelevant after 4 weeks.

As HIV testing is developing, HIV DUO tests are highly recommended (they are recommened as first line by the British 2008 HIV guideline).

Of course they have the double advantage of detecting both the HIV1 antigen and mostly both HIV1/2 antibodies.

Thanks.

[Teak]

HIV DUO tests are not approved in the US. You've test outside the window period. You are negative.

[JeanClaude]

By the antigeanemic phase , antibodies are produced, therefore rendering the Antigen test secondary. Yes, there may possibly be an extremely short period between the two, based on the assay's sensitivity. The P24Antigen Test is quite useful in acute infection, however most clinics and POC facilities rely on the Antibody Assay as the primary diagnostic tool. My reference was to that affect, and I'm quite sure you knew that. This individual was given the DUO test far outside the window of the P24 assay's efficacy. My references are in no way intended to imply his results were invalid or void. Just a point for scholarly debate.

-Regards-

[JeanClaude]

Additionally,
     DUO tests are not as yet approved as a diagnostic tool in the US

[JeanClaude]

As I see Teak has pointed out.  

[nice_gathering]

Well I live in the UK and hence follow guidance by the UK authorities.

Regards.

[Teak]

This forum is based in the US and we go by the US guidelines.

[Sill_Scot]

I belive that the UK are one of the top if not the top country in HIV medicine?? for instance they have used the 3 month period long before other nations and they routinely use the most modern of tests and test for both HIV1/2 as standard unlike the US, this may have changed now.  They have now released new guidelines that due to many years of succesful HIV testing the HIV duo test is the first step in HIV testing no mater what the exposure... as long as 28 days have passed.... they do not recommend testing before this as the PCR test is not definate.
This post has got way to technical for me now... my concern was that HIV 1 has devinately been ruled out but there could still be a small cahnce of HIV 2 if I had not produced antibodies... I have always been a healthy person untill now so I cant think of any condition that would stop HIV antibodies being produced.. I would know if I had such a condition???

[Sill_Scot]

To add incase you doubt the duo I also had a HIV insti antibody 1& 2 test at 14 wees

[Teak]

I don't doubt the DUO test it's just that the antigen test has a short window period, but it is backed up by the antibody test. You have conclusively tested negative outside the window period. You're NEGATIVE.

[nice_gathering]

I think it is a forum for all. As people from any country may post. If in the US, HIV DUO is still not validated by FDA, it does not mean that it is wrongly used in the UK and other countries.

Yes, in the UK both HIV1/2 antibodies are routinely tested. Sil_Scot you really do not need to worry about HIV2, if your tests checked for its antibodies after 12 weeks post last exposure.



Regards.

[Sill_Scot]

Yep was antibody tested at 16 weeks and duo tested at 7 months post exposure!!!

[Teak]

Would you please start reading the posters full post before you begin to reply. He stated his tests in his first post.

[JeanClaude]

I did not mean to create controversy. I just wanted to point that out. A DUO test so far out is really only an Antibody Assay. I can't understand what there was to argue about. If some posters would read a complete posting ( in context) there would be none of this

-Regards-

[nice_gathering]

There are many HIV DUO tests and the most modern have the capability of detecting HIV 1 P24 antigen to the same level as the HIV 1 P24 antigen only test.

These are not antibodies only assay, they check for both the HIV1 P24 antigen and HIV antibodies.

Best regards.

[JeanClaude]

This discussion is going nowhere very fast. The intrinsic limitations of the P24 Assay would obviously apply both to the DUO and the Stand-Alone Test. That's Academic. Seems like we've come full circle here.