The fourth generation test can detect p24 within 1 month of exposure. In some people, the virus can be detected within 2 weeks of exposure, depending on the type of test. Testing too early will give false negative results, meaning you have the virus, but you test negative. This time can vary from person to person. HIV tests can’t reliably detect the virus during the window period - the time from when a person gets the infection to when tests can detect the virus. Once someone is exposed to the virus, the body starts producing antibodies, this is called seroconversion. When can you get a 4th generation HIV test?Ĭurrently there no HIV tests that can detect the presence of HIV immediately. The main difference with the fourth generation tests are that they can identify HIV present in your blood several months earlier than older HIV tests because they detect both antigen p24 and antibodies.
Your doctor or the clinic you visit will do follow-up testing to confirm your results. This test only detects antibodies, not the virus itself, so it only applies to infections of several weeks or longer.
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However, if you take a home self-test, you’ll need to follow up with a clinic or healthcare professional for a confirmation test, as a negative saliva test doesn’t necessarily mean that you don’t have HIV. The only Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved home test kit, called the OraQuick In-Home HIV Test, tests for HIV antibodies with an oral saliva swab. An estimated 40 percent of new HIV infections are transmitted by those who don’t know they’re positive for HIV. This can delay getting treatment if you’re positive and increase the risk of passing the virus unknowingly. Older tests like the third generation tests aren’t reliable until about 3 months after exposure to the virus. Antibodies to HIV aren’t produced until several weeks after exposure. Older generation HIV tests and home test kits can’t detect acute HIV because they only detect antibodies produced by your immune system. It can tell if you have HIV within around 10 to 33 days of exposure. The NAT test can identify HIV and viral load (amount of virus in the blood). Tests can measure antibodies, antigen/antibody (fourth generation), and there’s also a nucleic acid test (NAT). HIV testing can be done by drawing blood from a vein, a finger stick, or taking an oral swab of fluid. There are several types of tests that can test for the presence of HIV. How is the 4th generation HIV test different from others? The healthcare clinic or doctor’s office you visit for an HIV test can tell you more about the exact test they use.
This is the time when the virus is multiplying rapidly and you’re more likely to pass the infection. The fourth generation HIV test, also called an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) test, is a more complete screening that can identify acute HIV.