To determine the presence of the virus in the human body, various laboratory tests are conducted, based on the analysis of venous blood. The results of such studies are becoming known about 3 months later, but there are faster ways to identify the infection.
Fast test for HIV or AIDS
Express tests are done on the basis of a blood test from the finger and allow the result to be obtained within 30 minutes after the fluid is withdrawn. The credibility of the rapid HIV test is almost the same as that of standard laboratory tests. The only difference is that this analysis reveals not the virus itself in the human blood, but the presence of antibodies to infection. Therefore, for the most accurate results from the moment of infection to the delivery of blood should be at least 10 weeks.
Express test for HIV by saliva
These tests are usually portable and can be used at home. They are designed to identify the human immunodeficiency virus 1 and 2 types. The results of such tests are very reliable - by 99.8%.
The rapid test for saliva includes:
- Instructions.
- Tester with a shovel (for sampling material) and two marks: C and T.
- Container with buffer mixture.
Rapid HIV test - instruction:
- the scapula on the tester should be applied to the outer sides of the upper and lower gums;
- make sure that the indicator on the C mark is darkened, which means that the test is working.
Results:
The test for HIV is negative if a band appears only at the C-mark. Hence, in the saliva there are no T-lymphocytes and antibodies to the virus.
Positive HIV test if the indicators on both marks (C and T) have darkened. This suggests that antibodies to infection are present in the saliva. In this case, you should immediately contact a specialized medical institution for additional laboratory tests and assistance.
Fourth Generation HIV Testing
Antibodies to HIV in most people are produced in sufficient quantities to detect them only 10-12 weeks after infection. But viral RNA is present in blood plasma cells only a week after infection, so a new, fourth generation of tests uses a complex approach with simultaneous application of two antigens and parallel detection of the p24 capsid antigen. Such a combined blood test for antibodies allows you to determine the HIV disease in the shortest time after infection and takes much less time.
Possible test results
Among the unambiguously positive and negative results of the analyzes, it is necessary to distinguish the category of false or questionable ones. Such situations arise if an error has been made in laboratory studies, or in the human body, antibodies of a specific origin, similar to antibodies to HIV, are produced. There is also the possibility that the analysis was performed at a time when the immune system has not yet responded to the introduction of the virus properly, and the concentration of antibodies is too small to be determined.
A false positive HIV test is the result of incorrect decoding of certain types of proteins by a test system. With certain inflammatory and oncological diseases, as well as during pregnancy, the body can produce proteins that are very similar to antibodies to HIV. To clarify the results of the analysis, additional confirmatory tests should be performed after several weeks.
False negative test for HIV -antibodies to the virus did not reach the concentration to which the test system responds. Usually this indicates that the analysis was taken in the so-called window period, that is, there was not enough time from the time of infection.