![]() CD4 T cells are white blood cells that are specifically targeted and destroyed by HIV. If you receive a diagnosis of HIV/ AIDS, several tests can help your health care provider determine the stage of your disease and the best treatment, including: Monitor your progress and work with you to manage your health.Determine which HIV antiretroviral therapy (ART) will be best for you.Determine whether you need additional testing.If you've been diagnosed with HIV, it's important to find a specialist trained in diagnosing and treating HIV to help you: If any of these tests are negative, you may still need a follow-up test weeks to months later to confirm the results. Talk to your health care provider about which HIV test is right for you. NAT will be the first test to become positive after exposure to HIV. If you might have been exposed to HIV within the past few weeks, your health care provider may recommend NAT. They also involve blood drawn from a vein. These tests look for the actual virus in your blood (viral load). Antibody tests can take 3 to 12 weeks after you're exposed to become positive. ![]() Most rapid HIV tests, including self-tests done at home, are antibody tests. These tests look for antibodies to HIV in blood or saliva. The combination antigen/antibody tests can take 2 to 6 weeks after exposure to become positive. It can take weeks to months for antibodies to become detectable. To learn more about the different types of Western blot test kits available or securing test kits for your facility, please contact ITSI Biosciences today.Antibodies are produced by your immune system when it's exposed to HIV. That said, an additional Western blot kit may need to be employed for later testing if the patient has undergone HIV testing too early in the infection process.Īlthough Western blot tests are not the only way to confirm an HIV diagnosis, they are still utilized by many biomedical facilities today for other tests and research. Since they are also less likely to return a false positive, this can eliminate the need for unnecessary worry. Although Western blot tests are less sensitive than initial forms of HIV testing, that may actually be to the patient’s benefit. An indeterminate result may be returned if an individual’s HIV infection is quite new or if they have been infected with another retrovirus. However, Western blot kits can return an indeterminate result if the sample’s antibodies do not match with the enzymes being tested. When used to confirm a positive ELISA, the results are extremely accurate. This can be used to indicate a positive HIV infection. Researchers use prepared samples of HIV proteins and will compare a sample of a patient’s blood if any of the antibodies stick to the sample, it can be noted that HIV antibodies (or proteins) have been detected. A Western blot test kit works by searching for unknown proteins through the use of antibody exposure. Western blots are used to detect certain proteins within a given sample. Today, there are other alternatives available however, Western blot tests remain a staple for many biomedical facilities and research laboratories. Historically, this second test was the Western blot test. You can also undergo the ELISA test if you are uncertain about your HIV status.īecause there remains a possibility for false positives with an ELISA, a second test will usually be ordered to confirm an HIV diagnosis. This may include those who use intravenous drugs, those who received blood transfusions prior to the mid-1980s, and those who have contracted other sexually transmitted diseases or who engage in riskier sexual activity. It is recommended to those who have either been exposed to HIV or who are at a higher risk of contracting HIV. This test is designed to detect HIV antibodies and antigens in the blood. First, a patient undergoes what is known as a high-sensitivity test - usually, an enzyme-linked immunosorbent essay (known as ELISA). The Western blot test is typically used during the second step of HIV testing. Read on to take a closer look at how Western blot kits work and why you may require these Western blot kits at your facility. While there are different testing methods available to confirm an HIV diagnosis, the Western blot test is one of the most well-known in the biomedical community. HIV testing plays an incredibly important role in protecting public health and paving the way for a patient to receive the treatments they need to enjoy a long and full life. But proper treatment is required to maintain overall health and prevent the patient from developing acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). HIV, as it’s more widely called, is not the death sentence it once was. Since the 1970s, the disease caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has been a concern for all Americans.
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