elisa test

[one1]

Dear Doc (and forum readers),

About a week or so ago I needed to get a medical check for work. When I got my results back, I was shocked to be told that the Elisa test came back as HIV reactive at 1.52. They tested it twice. I really have no idea what that number stands for, though.

I don't have sex. No girlfriend. And I don't sleep with street workers. As far as I can remember, I have not come into contact with blood (except when killing mosquitoes). I don't seem to have any risk-type behavior.

I did go to Thailand about four months ago.  Again, no women. There was no sex or close blood-to-blood contact with anyone.  

I feel healthier than I have ever been (The last time I had a cold was probably like 8 months ago or so).  I used Nair the day I was tested. I have lived in about three different countries in the last six years.  

The Western Blot results should be back in two weeks.

Here are my questions:

1. As I am told, you can't contract hiv from mosquitoe bites, but what about when killing them? I do remember wiping blood of my skin after reacting to a bite on a few occasions. Where I live, in Asia, there are a lot of them.

2. In Thailand, I was once scratched by a monkey. It's nails kind of broke the skin on my arm, but I don't think I bled at all.  I just got a blister, which went away very quickly.  Is it possible to contract HIV from a monkey scratch?  Monkeys native to Thailand? Or am I just foolish for even considering it?

3. Could Nair somehow contribute to a false-positive result?

4. And finally, what's the likelihood of this this being a false-positive?

Thank you all for any comments and or criticisms.  

Wishing all well in peace,


one1

[LIZZIE LOU]

please refrain from posting incorrect information to the posters...it only adds to their anxiety.

you are conclusively negative...move on ! ! ! !

[ice127]

maybe the result is false positive....Anyway....sex is not the only mode of transmission for HIV.....it can be through blood transfusion, i advice you to just wait  for the western blot result for you to know the real result..

[one1]

i did. the test was sent away last firday. they said two weeks. but my question still stands: do these false positive elisa tests happen frequently? if so, why?

thank you.

[Teak]

If you had a positive test you would have been given a Western Blot or a comparison test to confirm it.

[one1]

so how common are fale positives?  why do they occur?  aren't these tests very accurate?

thanks you very much.

[Teak]

It's not possible. PERIOD.

[one1]

Thank you for your response.

I am being completely honest. I have nothing to hide here. And, from my recollection, these are the experiences I can remember. I have racked my brain and this is what I came up with. I've been extremely distressed because of this.  As you can imagine, it has caused a real problem for me at work. How do you tell your employer that they have to wait two more weeks for the results to a medical check when they typically only take one week? Of course, I think I would know if I had sex with someone, come into contact fluids that could potentially spead HIV, etc.   I haven't come in contact with anything, or anybody, that I can recall.  So I really don't understand how this is possible.

Again, thank you.

one1

[jhguy011]

Teak will probably be able to help you better, but I would think if you have never had sex in your life, shared IV drug works, were born from an HIV infected mother, or had a blood transfusion before 1984, then they are false positives; or you are not telling the truth or not recalling facts.  Reactive at 1.52 is positive because 1 is the line.  Anything below 1 is negative and anything above is positive.

Mosquito bites and killing of mosquitoes are not a risk for contracting HIV.

Wait for the Western blot results to come back, and go from there.