There are several tests that are used to confirm the prescence
of HIV.
In medical settings, the most common tests being used today are
rapid tests such as Oraquick which use a sample from the mouth to
detect the prescence of antibodies to the HIV virus. Oraquick
produces results in 20 minutes.
If Oraquick produces a positive result, a blood sample is
usually taken and sent to a laboratory for a confirmatory test. In
the laboratory, the ELISA test will be used. If the ELISA is also
positive, another test called Western Blot will be used to confirm
the results of ELISA.