Greetings all. I was wondering if you are up to date with the recent information about a new strain of HIV that was discovered by Abbott late last year? How does this impact those who already tested negative in the past? Would all of us who had exposures need to get retested again? Or do the current tests like antigen/antibody detect this new L strain?
NO. No matter how many different subtypes that are found now or in the future, a subtype cannot change the method of transmission of the HIV virus. The subtypes represent slight variations and subtypes do not change the structure of the virus, which is what would be necessary to allow for a different mode of transmission.