Brief Answer: Very reliable. No need to worry. Detailed Answer: Hi, Welcome to Healthcare Magic! The CMIA 4th generation test is very reliable and since this has come to be non reactive, you need not worry at all. Earlier the third generation ELISA test used to be done. The ELISA test looks for antibodies in your blood that your body develops in response to an HIV infection. This test had a window period of 4 weeks to 3 months.The window period is the point from first infection until the test can reliably detect antibodies in the blood. A 4th generation CMIA test like the one you took, also known as a DUO or Combo test, looks for both antibodies and P24 protein antigens. The P24 antigens can be detected within the first few weeks post-exposure, so this therefore shortens the window period for the test. Many HIV specialists consider this test conclusive at 6 weeks. This test is not necessarily "better" than the ELISA test, it can simply produce more accurate results earlier than the ELISA test. Since your CMIA 4th generation test was non reactive at six months, which rules out the possibility of any latent infection in the window period, you should consider this result as conclusive and stop worrying. Hope this answers your query. Please feel free to ask if you need any clarifications. Best wishes. Dr Preeti Parakh MD Psychiatry

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Brief Answer: You do not have HIV infection. Detailed Answer: Hi, The LabCorp test code 0000 tests for the presence of HIV antibodies by Immunochemiluminometric assay (ICMA). Sensitivity and specificity of this assay are 100% and 99.9%, respectively, which are very high. All the test results that you mentioned are negative for HIV. There is also no chance of a latent infection, as you were tested so many times and well out of the window period. There is no need to worry. You do not have HIV infection. Further testing is also not needed. Best wishes. Dr Preeti Parakh MD Psychiatry

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Brief Answer: Explained below. Detailed Answer: Hi, The tests for detecting presence of antibodies are interpreted on the basis of reactivity. Antibodies to different antigens, in spite of being different, share some similarities. That is why, when any antibody tests are done, there is always some reactivity. If there's only a little bit of reactivity the test is read as "non-reactive". If there's a lot then it's read as "reactive". To differentiate between the two, the cut-off is labelled as the index value and it is usually kept as 1. If your HIV antibody result is below the index value, the result reads "non-reactive" and you can be confident it is negative. If it's above and "reactive", then you need to go on and do further tests to check whether you truly have HIV or whether the "reactive" test was a false positive. In your report the index value is 1.0. If you test at 0.8 or even 1 and your sample is "non-reactive" then that's a negative result, and you don't need to do any further testing. Supposing it is 1.2 and the test is read as "reactive", then you need to do further tests to be sure whether you have HIV or not. Chances are that even with a reading like that and a "reactive" test, you still will not have HIV because it is only a little above the "index value" of 1. However, if your reading was 5.0 or 10.0, then it would be a cause for concern. That is why, your test is completely normal and you need not worry. Best wishes. Dr Preeti Parakh MD Psychiatry

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Brief Answer: Western Blot is done only for reactive results. Detailed Answer: Hi, Since your test was "non-reactive", which means that your test was negative, you were not advised a Western Blot test. Had your test come as "reactive", that is positive, then only a Western Blot test would have been done. Best wishes. Dr Preeti Parakh MD Psychiatry

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Brief Answer: No more testing is needed. Detailed Answer: Hi,

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Brief Answer: You can do Western Blot for confirmation. Detailed Answer: Hi, If you wish to do Western Blot test, you can do so as it will relieve your worry. Most probably, it will come back as negative and then you can be finally sure. Best wishes. Dr Preeti Parakh MD Psychiatry

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