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Are my HIV Tests conclusive?
Hi I had an unprotected encounter with a female - whose status I don't know, a sex worker. I had stray symptoms like sore throat and dry cough but I am anyway a toncilitis patient, and as I read from various threads in your forum not to go by symptoms. No fever, flu though. Some pimples here and there. After 6 weeks 3 days exactly after exposure, I got tested in 2 leading pathological clinincs who provide results online (i.e., I need not go back to the clinic again for report collection). The test results are like this at 6 months 3 days: 1. HIV I&II Antibody Screen (Rapid) - Non-Reactive 2. HIV Screening Test 1&2 Antibody - Enzyme Immuno Assay Technique - Non-Reactive 3. HIV 1/2 & P/24 COMBO TEST (Ref Range =1 Provisionally Reactive) - 0.32 Non-Reactive 4. HIV-1 RNA QUANTITATIVE, REAL TIME PCR using COBAS AMPLIPREP & TAQMAN( Linear Range <20 to 1.0 X 10power7) - Target Not Detected 5. Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 (HIV-1) RNA Quantification (Viral load) - COBAS TaqMan (Limit of Detection 20 - 10,000,000 copies/ml) - NOT APPLICABLE, BELOW 20 6. WESTERN BLOT - ALL [ENV],[GAG],[POL] NEGATIVE; Conclusion - HIV I & II Negative Is this conclusive or I need to test again @ 12 weeks? How much chance do I have to turn positive?
Best Answer
That is not always true.
Thanks, I had unprotected vaginal sex. What I understand is I will have to get tested for antibody at end of 12 weeks, since RNA tests are not officially recognized or something. On other hand, aren't the chanes high that if I had HIV by now then one of the antigen, antibody of RNA's should have ideally shown it (maybe with some buffer for statistical error, which is always there)? Just trying to buy a piece of peace for mind - until the 12th week comes along....
I consulted a just-passout doctor (my friend), who was not a HIV specialist .. whose statement was 'if you acquired infection then either antibodies would have been present or viral load would have been high or you are a superman to suppress all infection symptoms till 6 weeks'.... I guess he was trying to show me the lighter side to freshen my mood up....
I consulted a just-passout doctor (my friend), who was not a HIV specialist .. whose statement was 'if you acquired infection then either antibodies would have been present or viral load would have been high or you are a superman to suppress all infection symptoms till 6 weeks'.... I guess he was trying to show me the lighter side to freshen my mood up....
No it isn't conclusive and you need to obtain your conclusive test result 3 months post exposure.
You are reading content posted in the HIV Prevention Community
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Second of all, whatever your concern is, the number of tests that you took was completely unnecessary. At 6 weeks all you need is an antibody test. However, it should be obvious that everything is telling you that you don't have HIV. Many doctors (including those on this website) would consider you negative, although the official guidelines on the window period are an antibody test at 3 months.
Bottom line: you should have a confirmation (antibody ONLY) test at 3 months (but ONLY if you had a REAL risk- unprotected vaginal or anal sex), but don't waste any emotional energy worrying about the test turning positive- it won't.