How to Read IFA HIV Test Results

An immunofluorescent assay (IFA) HIV test can be performed to analyze a tissue sample for the presence or absence of the HIV-1 virus. To check for detectable levels of the antibodies the immune system makes to fight the HIV virus, an IFA HIV test involves drawing blood or plasma samples from the patient and subjecting them to laboratory analysis.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Physician

Interpret IFA HIV Test Results

1. Keep in mind that the IFA HIV test is usually used after the more standard western-blot test or ELISA test has returned a positive or inconclusive result. Doctors do not normally administer the IFA test as an initial-screening procedure for the HIV virus, though preferences vary from doctor to doctor and clinic to clinic.

2. Plan to read the results with the assistance of your physician or the qualified, sexual-health professional who administered the test. You can usually find anonymous in-person HIV testing services, particularly in larger cities, if you prefer to protect your privacy.

3. Give a blood or plasma sample, as required by the IFA test.

4. Ask your doctor about the method the laboratory uses to conduct an IFA HIV test. In an IFA test, an antibody specific to the antigens produced to fight the HIV-1 virus are sought using one of four methods: competitive, noncompetitive, heterogeneous or homogeneous-immunoassay testing. Remember that the IFA test is not recommended for detection of the antibodies formed against the HIV-2 virus, as it can only read the presence of HIV-1.

5. Have your doctor explain the protocol specific to the lab completing testing on your sample. Labs require that a specified amount of HIV-1 antigen (the exact amount varies from lab to lab) be present before declaring a test reactive or positive. Unlike many other HIV tests, the IFA HIV test will be reported positive after a single reactive test result.

6. Get follow-up tests performed if your IFA test read positive results. Have a different type of HIV test performed.

Tips & Warnings

• It is advised that you wait at least 12 weeks after a possible exposure to the HIV virus, via sexual contact or other means, to have an IFA HIV test. Sometimes, it takes the body as much as 3 to 6 months to develop enough antibodies to the HIV-1 virus to be found by an antibody-detection method.
• The IFA HIV test, unlike many other forms of testing, does not have a single unified, specific protocol to be followed in analyzing the sample for the presence of antigens. The process is subject to human interpretation to a much greater degree, and the possibility of human error is therefore higher than with other testing methods.

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