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HIV Pcr Quantitative Test Done After Unprotected Oral Sex. Is The Report Normal?

Posted on Tue, 12 Mar 2013

Question: I recieved an unprotected oral sex 38 days back. I was only the reciever and the incident happened for like 30 secs. I took a HIV PCR QUANTATIVE TEST after 30 days and the result came as "less than detection limit" which was told as "undetectable/negative". Can i take these results as confirmatory and move on in life. I am very confused. Pls advice.

Answered by Dr. Sudhir (20 minutes later)

Hello,

Welcome to XXXXXXX

Actually this test is to measure viral load.Even HIV diagnosed patients can sometimes show undetectable viral levels.This does not mean that the person is cured; it means only that the level of HIV RNA is currently below the threshold needed for detection.

It is important to know, however, that it may take up to six months after exposure to the HIV virus before you will test positive on an HIV antibody test.Although most infected people will test positive within 3 months.So I would suggest you get retested again after interval.

But rate of transmission through oral sex is quiet low, so that should relieve your concerns to great extent.

Hope this answers your question.Please ask if there are doubts.Regards.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Sudhir (7 minutes later)

Dear doctor,

Thank you so much for your reply. But after 30 days of exposure. Wont the hiv virus be floating high and detectable in the blood, because of replications happening in the blood and also because of the recent infection. Moreover, I also heard these real-time PCR have high sensitivity. Wont they able to detect the virus, if at all it was present. additionally, I have also heard patients on medications only show undetectable viral load and not everyone. Is that true? Please advice on this.

Answered by Dr. Sudhir (16 minutes later)

1.Yes, the test has high sensitivity, but you never know whats exact stage of anybody's viral load and how there body has responded to exposure.Since HIV is major health concern I wont trust a single test result and would always like to get it reconfirmed.This is my personal approach as all tests will have false positives and negatives.I would surely want this to be corelated with antibody tests.I dont want to scare you but I am just making a suggestion.
2.Undetectable load can be seen in patients who are treated or whose immunity is strong enough.In some cases HIV might not be detectable in blood but might be persisting in host cells.

Please do ask if there are doubts.Regards.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Sudhir (14 minutes later)

thank you so much doctor.

In what way this test is different from hiv pcr dna test.? Is both the tests same. If it shows negative in hiv pcr quantitative test, will it also show negative in pcr dna test also. Pls advice.

Answered by Dr. Sudhir (10 hours later)

The earliest test - that can be taken to detect HIV infection is the PCR proviral DNA test. This test can detect the HIV DNA within 15-21 days of the infection.
A proviral DNA PCR - at 3-4 weeks post exposure - can be confirmatory. (Although the earliest results can be available within 7-10 days of exposure).

I would suggest you not to get confused and go for a simple antibody test.Both test results combined can be helpful.

Regards.

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Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar