Incite Health offers the BioRad Genetic Systems HIV Combo Ag/Ab EIA tests to screen individuals for HIV. The test detects HIV p24 antigen and antibodies to HIV Type 1 (HIV-1 Groups M and O) and HIV Type 2 (HIV-2).
BioRad Genetic Systems HIV Combo Ag/Ab EIA Test Performance Criteria Specificity 100%; Sensitivity 99.95%
Sample Requirement:
Gel-barrier tube, or Red Top Tube 5mL.
The CDC now recommends that all individuals between 13 and 64 years of age should include an HIV test as part of their routine health care, or more frequently for individuals who have multiple sexual partners or engage in other high-risk behaviors. All pregnant women should receive HIV testing, along with tests for other infections including Hepatitis B and syphilis.
Populations at high risk of contracting HIV include:
Intravenous drug users
Individuals diagnosed with or treated for another sexually transmitted disease
Individuals diagnosed with or treated for hepatitis or tuberculosis
Men who has sex with other men
Individuals who have had sex with someone who is HIV positive
Individuals who have multiple sexual partners
There are no clinical diagnostic tests that can detect the HIV virus immediately following exposure, so if you think you’ve been exposed, you should talk with your healthcare provider about post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) as soon as possible. The HIV test offered by Incite Health can detect HIV infection from 18-45 days following exposure, so talk with your healthcare provider about the window period for testing and consider re-testing at a later date to confirm your result.
Knowing your HIV status enables you to keep yourself and your partner healthy. If your test result comes back positive, then you’ll need a confirmatory test to be completed. If this is also positive, then your healthcare provider will start prescribing antiretroviral therapy (ART). This medication reduces the levels of the virus in your blood (often referred to as your viral load) to very low levels. Individuals who continue this therapy as prescribed can achieve undetectable viral loads, live long and healthy lives, and cannot transmit HIV to their HIV-negative partners through sex.
