The CDC recommends the following sequence of HIV tests: Test #1: An antigen/antibody test to check for HIV antigen p24 and HIV antibodies. You'll need a second test to confirm the results if you test positive. Test #2: An antibody test to check for antibodies associated with the two types of HIV, HIV-1 and HIV-2. Detection of HIV is possible through a range of tests that focus on different virus components. These include tests specifically designed for the p24 antigen, antibodies like IgM and IgG, and the highly sensitive RNA PCR tests. Third Generation Tests 3rd generation tests are so called because they detect antibodies to the HIV 1 and HIV 2 strains. The HIV 4th Generation blood test can be taken 2-3 weeks after exposure and tests for HIV antibodies and HIV p24 antigens. The HIV RNA blood test is used for early detection of HIV's actual genetic material and can deliver accurate results after only 9-11 days post-exposure. 1.2 million Americans are HIV-positive (35 million people worldwide). Repeat HIV testing in the third trimester is recommended for pregnant people with negative initial HIV tests who are at increased risk of acquiring HIV, Macias D, Gaffney D, et al. Diagnostic accuracy of fourth-generation ARCHITECT HIV Ag/Ab combo assay and utility of signal-to-cutoff ratio to predict false-positive HIV tests in pregnancy. Test inaccuracy. HIV tests are generally highly accurate but may produce a small number of false-positive results. The CDC states that HIV tests have 99.6% specificity. This means that for every But symptoms truly do not diagnose hiv, the tests do. What might help you with your emotions, is that the majority of the people who are truly infected normally would test positive by 6 weeks. Your negative test at 7 weeks is therefore encouraging. To have a conclusive result though, because you had a risk, you will need to test again at 3 months. 4th generation HIV tests (antigen/antibody) are 95% accurate after 4 weeks and more than 99% accurate after 6 weeks. UK guidelines recommend waiting 6 weeks which will not need to be repeated. If you use a 3rd generation test (antibody only), please wait 8 weeks for a final result. Testing earlier than this means you need to confirm the A 4th generation test per the CDC is 100% conclusive after 6 weeks. the cdc DOES NOT say anywhere that a 45 day test is 100% conclusive. it is NOT 100% conclusive. no hiv test is ever 100% conclusive. its sensitivity could be 99% or 99.9%, but there are always rare cases missed. that's not to freak out the paranoid, who ofc are never those rare The FDA-approved rapid tests are both accurate and reliable. We use them at the Frascino Medical Group (650-917-1357) on a daily basis. Fourth-Generation HIV Tests: What You Need to Know Even if the antigen sensitivity is low, it may still be an improvement on third generation tests; however, in settings with access to advanced laboratory equipment, a fourth generation laboratory test may be more useful for detecting acute infections. We found that the Determine Combo test was accurate in identifying HIV antibodies, but sykYem9.