possible ars

[pinoy2013]

hello doctors, hopefully you can give some peace of mind. more than 3 months ago i went to the philippines for a vacation and mistakenly had unprotedted sex with a csw, the whole event lasted only maybe 3-4 mins. so after i came back here in the states i told my gf about my mistake and decided to wait three months to have a hiv test before having unprotected sex with each other. now at the 8th week mark i decided to have a std check up including a lab based hiv blood test which all came back negative. and finally at 3 1/2 month mark i took two oraquick home swab test (i took two to be sure) which both came back negative. so me and my gf felt safe to have unprtected sex in which we did and i did came inside of her. now about 5-6 days after our intercourse she had strange red bumps acrosss her arms, and the next morning she had a bad sore throat. the bumps dissapeared over night. my questions are....

1.does her symptoms sound like ars? and can it happen this early?
2.could the oraquick home swab test give me a false negative results? i had followed the instructions correctly.

[Edward W Hook, MD]

Problems occur withthe OraQuick assay when it is perfromed too soon after an exposure (i.e. earlier than 8-12 weeks after an exposure).  You should believe your test results.  EWH

[pinoy2013]

hello again doctor, i just read that the oraquick home test is only about 92 percent accurate in detecting someone with hiv and produce a false negative. do you know the factors that causes a drop in accuracy? also if i have taken two of this test past 3 months is it pretty safe to say that a false negative is not an issue for me?

[pinoy2013]

thank you so much doctor for your advise and help. you have certainly gave me peace of mind. may you have a great blessed weekend.

[Edward W Hook, MD]

1.  No, neither antibiotics nor other medications will change the accuracy or reliability of your tests.

2.  No, HIV is not spread by kissing, deep or otherwise, with our without canker sores.

EWH

[pinoy2013]

yes it was very difficult to reveal to her of my mistake and see her in emotional pain because of it. i am very lucky to still have her in my life and will never make the same mistake again. i just have two follow up questions if you dont mind.

1. my MD diagnosed me with sinusitis during this three months and i was put on very high dosage of antibiotics and i also take OTC vitamin and health supplements. will any of this have any affect on any of my tests?

2.does deep kissing with a small canker sore on my lips put me on any risk of hiv?

[Edward W Hook, MD]

Welcome to the Forum.. I'll be pleased to assure you that your GF's rash is not a manifestation of ARS resulting from transmission of HIV you acquired in the Philippines.  The ARS, which does not occur in everyone who gets HIV, typically occurs 2-6 weeks after an exposure and is associated with positive blood tests just a few days after the ARS symptoms occur.  In your case however, both your 8 week blood test and your 12+ week oral fluid tests provide definitive evidence that you did not get HIV and therefore you can be confident that you did not transmit infection to your GF.

Further, your GF's rash and sore throat would not have gone away in a day if they were due to HIV.

Although recent data suggest that the oral fluid tests may sometimes take longer to become positive than blood tests, by 12 weeks however, their results can be counted on as reliable. Further, as I said, your 8 week blood test was definite as well.

Finally, let me congratulate you on telling your GF about your encounter- that will go a long way towards  making sure that your guilt and anxiety will not contribute to your concerns.  I am sure it was a difficult thing to do but it was the right thing.

Take care.  EWH