HIV ELISA False Positive??

[SomeBumInADrum]

24 year old male and all encounters have been heterosexual.
The first test was conducted after 2 sexual encounters.
10 weeks after unproctected oral intercourse (I received oral sex) and protected sexual intercourse with a high risk individual.
6 weeks after unprotected intercourse with a low risk individual.

First test done on September 13th
EIA/ELISA 1.73
Western Blot - Negative

Second test done on September 18th which included a DNA PCR exam
EIA/ELISA 1.6
Western Blot - Negative
DNA PCR - Negative

Possible symptoms may include:
Light Oral Thrush (had this for many months before these encounters / tests and this has not changed)
Brief Rash Outbreak 9 weeks after the 1st encounter (I've had a chronic rash in the same spot for as long as I can remember)
Sore throat for 3 days 8 weeks after the 1st encounter (was exposed to someone with a sore throat)
Fatigue and lack of energy - Started as soon as the first test's results came in and has persisted on and off (could be depression/anxiety thanks to these tests and relationship issues, could be recently poor sleep due to anxiety and jetlag)
Disrupted sleep and insomnia (like right now I am posting this instead of sleeping...)
Malaise (general feeling of not-being well)

No weight loss
No lymph node swelling
No fever
No oral herpes outbreak and I am HSV-1 positive
No other STDs known/detected

Doctor told me that 1.73 and 1.6 aren't very high indexes for the EIA/ELISA and it's a good sign that it went down over the course of 5 days. Doctor also said that most people with HIV have much higher indexes around 5.0-20.0+. Regardless, countless sources online vow for the reliability of the new EIA/ELISA tests and mention the unreliability of the Western Blot and HIV DNR PCR.

Any other information I can provide for better help? Is it likely that I have HIV? Most sources just say 'take the anti-body test again later' and I will do this, but I'd really like to have more insight than that...

Thanks.

[BobPop]

I have the same situation like you.
But my case was always positive on rapid test (clearview Complete and oraquick) but the rest of the tests all negative such as  rna pcr, dna pcr, wb, 4th gen elisa, standard elisa. I still in deep problemthT I think I never be able to solve.

[Teak]

They don't do viral load tests until you test and are confirmed positive.

[SomeBumInADrum]

Many other countries use other standards for diagnosing HIV. I believe UK bases it solely on the EIA/ELISA while Canada uses the ELISA and another test (not sure which one, PCR RNA?). I'm probably wrong about both of these countries but it's something like that.

I suppose I'm just anxious. Anyway, from unreliable sources I've read on the internet, the HIV DNA PCR seems to have sensitivity and specificity close to that of the ELISA. In fact, it is regarded as an overly sensitive test. Since it did not detect any DNA in me I thought of this to be good news.

Unfortunately, I feel like I don't fully understand the HIV DNA PCR test and have had difficulty digging up information about it. It seems to only test HIV-1 A-H types and not the other HIV-1 type(s?) or HIV-2.

Also, I see people continuously regurgitating the following line:
Retest at 3 months, then 6 months, etc etc (with ELISA/EIA+WB). I am very concerned that my EIA/ELISA will continue to be positive, my WB will continue to be negative, and I will either be paranoid over something minor (like cross-reactivity of other antibodies to HIV) or that I will not be receiving proper care for if I do have HIV.

There is also NO INFORMATION on the 'severity' of the indexes for the EIA/ELISA. For example, someone with an index of 1.1 might have just had cross-reactivity while someone with an index of 5.0 might truly have HIV. The cut-off point for the EIA/ELISA was not properly defined and could be overly sensitive. What indexes have HIV positive people seen for the ELISA tests? Is there ANY information?

Many sources and case scenarios have shown that the WB has too many flaws to use for an accurate and quick diagnosis of HIV. Many people who test positive on the RNA PCR test, and with hundreds of thousands of viral copies / mL still test negative on their WB. I believe WB is a very poor confirmatory test to the ELISA. The CDC is starting to believe this as well and these standards could change.

I have been trying to 'bury the hatchet' in regards to whether or not I have HIV. If I do, I'd like to start the proper care ASAP. If I don't, I'd like to move on and possibly just be another story on the internet for others in my shoes to read.

Anyway, here's the conclusion I have come to:
1. My current test results, positive ELISA/EIA, negative WB, negative DNA PCR does NOT rule out the possibility of HIV infection. Other strains of HIV-1 and HIV-2 are a possibility (although rare). The sensitivity of the DNA PCR is NOT 100% (it's around 95-98% from what I've seen online).
2. I should at least humor the current 'Gold Standard' and retake the anti-body test at the 3 month mark (12/28/2012 marks the 3 month mark from my last unprotected vaginal intercourse).
3. If my ELISA is positive and Western Blot is positive, I effectively have HIV.
4. If my ELISA is negative and Western Blot is negative, I do not have HIV.
5. If my ELISA is positive and my Western Blot is negative, I don't know what to do. This is the scenario I am seeking help on. I think I should try the PCR RNA test, get a CD4 count, and whatever else I can do. Obviously PCR DNA probably isn't going to do anything for me since I just tested negative for it.

I feel like the anxiety has led to many of these symptomatic behaviors I have been going through... I'd really like it if someone has any information on how the magnitude of the ELISA/EIA indexes are correlated with HIV infection. Other than that, any advice would help...

Thanks again,
Bum in a drum

[Vance2335]

At this time an duo test would be worthless for the poster because he is out of the time frame for the producation of antigens.

[Vance2335]

Can't guess on what the CDC is going to do or say.

[SomeBumInADrum]

http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/strategy/planning/index.htm

Here we see that in 2013, the Western Blot could be removed and will no longer be the 'Gold Standard'.

Seroconversion is just too inconsistent and waiting months and months tends to not be the best choice.

Any thoughts? I'm sure this isn't news to you guys...

[RainLover71]

A negative WB is all that counts provided it's done at the 3 month mark.

[SomeBumInADrum]

If the test comes back with a positive ELISA but negative WB I don't know what to do after that and I suspect that will happen again.

Anyway, I meant to put November for the dates of the tests, not September (typo). Right now is the 3 month mark and I plan to retake the anti-body tests.

So the DNA PCR exam was pretty much pointless and not at all conclusive as it only detects HIV types A-H?

[Teak]

I'm sorry I didn't catch the unprotected vaginal sex. You can obtain your conclusive test result 3 months post your last unprotected penetrative vaginal sex.

[RainLover71]

Your doctor has no idea what he is talking about--you have a negative WB which is great but you require a conclusive result which you can obtain at the 3 month mark.

[Teak]

At no time did you have a risk of contracting HIV in the situations you've provided. HIV is not transmitted by oral sex and you had PROTECTED vaginal sex.