HIV Tests

HIV tests look for the presence of antibodies to HIV (proteins that fight the infection). There are a variety of HIV tests available, such as urine tests, blood tests, oral tests, and others. Regardless of the type of HIV test used, a positive test result must be confirmed with an additional specific test before a diagnosis of infection can be given.

 

HIV Tests: An Introduction

There are several HIV tests available. These include:
 
  • HIV blood tests
  • Urine HIV test
  • Oral HIV test
  • Rapid HIV test
  • HIV home tests.
     

HIV Tests and Antibodies

When HIV enters the body, it begins to attack certain white blood cells called T4 lymphocyte cells (helper cells). Your doctor may also call them CD4 cells. The immune system then produces antibodies to fight off the infection. Thus, the presence of HIV antibodies results from being infected with HIV. Although these antibodies are ineffective at destroying HIV, their presence is used to confirm an HIV infection. HIV tests look for the presence of HIV antibodies; they do not test for the virus itself.
 

HIV Test: Blood Tests

There are several HIV blood tests available:
 
  • ELISA or EIA for initial screening
  • Western blot to confirm the diagnosis
  • Other, newer blood tests.
     
HIV Blood Tests for Screening: ELISA or EIA HIV
HIV testing consists of an initial screening with two types of blood tests commonly used to detect HIV infection. The most commonly used initial HIV blood test is an enzyme immune assay (EIA) or the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) test. If EIA test results show a reaction, the test is repeated on the same blood sample.
(HIV Tests Continued: Page 2)
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Written by/reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD