elisa testing

[impalajoe]

Is the hiv elisa test{without the confirmatory test}the most reliable and accurate for detecting the hiv virus if you wait outside the 6 month window period?Is a second, third or fourth generation superior to a first generation elisa? Also why do blood banks use naat and other fancy tests to detect hiv? Do they do that to simply shorten the window period or would such fancy tests as naat, antigen, etc.be better able to pick up hiv in someone's blood who had waited the appropriate period of time and just took a plain old elisa{first generation} to see if they had hiv antibodies in their blood.Of course, no one should give blood to see if they are hiv positive but is the non blood donor not getting as accurate a result as a blood donor would even if the average Joe waits six months on the window period and takes an elisa be it of any generation but especially of the first generation? Would a blood donor be able to leave the donor center knowing that he does not have hiv and more confident than the average Joe who did not donate but just took an elisa say first generation and waited the appropriate window period? Can a person who has had repeated high risk exposures and is willing to wait the appropriate time on the window period have complete confidence in the elisa even if it is first generation? Thank you.

[Teak]

Disregard that last post it was for another poster.

[Teak]

http://www.medhelp.org/posts/HIV-Prevention/Recurring-Illnesses/show/1591575?personal_page_id=1704634#post_7230290

[Teak]

You never had a risk of contracting HIV.

[impalajoe]

would this be as reliable and accurate as any test given at a blood donor center?

[zamzam4]

If you had a risk and tested out to 3 months past your last expousre then regardless of what generation test was used on you you are reliably and conclusively HIV negative.