What does an HIV test involve?

Answer 1

It depends on your location, but most places offer free or low cost testing. There are different kinds of tests - blood (a blood draw or a fingerstick), oral, and urine tests. You will meet with a counselor or doctor and they will talk to you about the virus and how it is transmitted, then they will have you sign a consent form. They will take the sample and if it is a rapid test, they will provide the results in 10-20 minutes. Good places also offer counseling about reducing your risks and referrals if you need them. If it is a traditional test you will have to return in a week to ten days for the results.

HIV tests (for the most part) look for antibodies to the virus. These antibodies start to appear in your system when you contract the virus, but it can take up to three months for you to have enough of them for the test to come back positive. Because of this, you need to wait at least three months after a possible exposure to get tested.

Answer 2

there are different types of hiv tests

1)the regular tests look for antibodies to hiv1 and hiv2 they are supposed to be definite by 6-8 weeks post exposure

2)the DUO or Combi test

they look for the P24 antigen which is a part of the virus itself and also the antibodies,they are also called as 4th generation tests are far more superior and reduce the window period to 4 weeks(they are much better than that).

3)The NAT or PCR test(amplification of the RNA/DNA )

a)RNA which looks for the RNA of the virus and is used as diagnostic in primary infection and as marker od disease progression as viral load

b)Proviral DNA test: this is an excellent diagnostic test which looks for the cells infected by the virus and can detect infection 48-72 hour post infection.

it is highly sensitive and reliable.

these are all datas collected from sources both online and medical practitioners

Answer 3

Scientists have developed oral HIV tests that can be conducted with saliva samples. One of the unintended effects of these tests is the misperception that HIV can be transmitted through saliva. Still, they present an excellent alternative.