Different Types Of HIV Testing
Human immune deficiency virus tests or simply known as HIV test are used to check and determine whether a person is suffering from the AIDS disease. There are a number of tests that are used to determine whether a person has been infected with the virus and in the course of the article I will be briefing you'll on certain test procedures that are used.
Window period and the anti body tests:
It has been seen that when a person is affected with any type of disease or medical condition the body's defense system that is the immune system are mobilized to create antibodies that are then massed to protect the body against the disease causing germs. In the same way when the body is affected with the HIV virus there are antibodies that are created to help protect the body against the effects of the virus. The time period that is needed for the antibodies to form after the attack of the virus on the body system is known as the window period. During this period a host of tests including that of the anti body tests may produce false or negative results.
When an antibody test is conducted on individuals who have been affected with the virus it is for the purpose of determining the presence of the antibodies in the person's body secretions like
- Saliva
- Blood
- Urine
These antibody tests are very accurate and for that matter ELISA tests are accurate as they detect even small amounts of these antibodies within the system. In order to confirm the primary antibody test been conducted on the individual the WHO has issued directives that require that a second test should be carried out to confirm the presence of the antibodies. The names of these confirmatory tests are as follows:
- Line Immunoassay
- IIA or indirect immune assay
- The western blot assay test
- ELISA test
In areas where it is essential to diagnose HIV positive patients so that they can be administered medication it is not a good option to have to wait for a long time for test results in order to contain this problem there have been new techniques that have been made used of to detect HIV virus within a short period of time. These tests are the rapid or quick draw tests that are designed on the basis of the traditional ELISA tests.
Other test procedures;
There are a couple of other test procedures that are available for those who want to test themselves in the case they suspect HIV. These tests are basically used to decrease and lessen the time that it takes to diagnose a person and provide reliable treatment options at an early stage.
Some of the names of the test procedures are as follows:
- The antigen or P24 test: detects the presence of the protein P24 in the blood.
- PCR test: the polymerase chain reaction is helpful in detecting the structure of the HIV virus in the blood rather than antigens for the virus. These tests are expensive and difficult to administer and to be used to diagnose.