HIV Antibody Test

HIV-1 Antibody Screen With Reflex to Western Blot Confirmation (also known as an EIA test)

Tell me about this test.

This is considered the "gold standard" test and is the most common screening for HIV. This test is 99.5% accurate in finding antibodies after seroconversion. You should be aware that antibody testing will NOT find HIV in the blood immediately after you have been exposed to the virus. When is a good time to test? Everyone's different. It can take some people up to 3 months to produce enough antibodies for the test to find. Sometimes it's sooner, sometimes later. If you're tested too soon, your result may be negative even though you've been infected. This is called a "false-negative". That's why repeat testing is critical. Getting another HIV antibody test in 3 months after the first test will give you the best, most accurate result. (So you can get some rest!)

What does "Reflex to Western Blot Confirmation" mean?

Reflex testing is an automatic confirmation of the test results. That means that all positive tests are automatically followed up with another test to confirm the positive results. It's done with the same blood sample so there's no extra blood draw and no extra cost to you. You may read about something called an ELISA test. Antibody tests are also known as ELISA (Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay) tests.

What kind of sample is required?

A blood sample is drawn.

Any preparation?

None.

What do I have to know about the results?

A non-reactive result is a negative result, with the value of 1.00 or less. That means there's no evidence of antibodies to HIV. A reactive result is a positive result. The Western Blot will always follow a positive result for confirmation. An "indeterminate" result would indicate further testing.