[Question #1236] 33 day's post exposure 4th Generation Neg - Non Reactive

99 months ago

I had an exposure with an HIV+ non detectable person and I am concerned with the results i am currently at 37 days post exposure and I had myself tested at 33 days post exposure with HIV 4 Gen and it was Negative. Due to exposure do I need to get retested on day 42 or 43? I am assuming yes.

H. Hunter Handsfield, MD

99 months ago

Welcome to the forum. Thanks for your question.

In general, the chance of HIV transmission is extremely low, approaching zero risk, from exposure to an HIV infected person with an undetectable viral load, so most likely you were not at risk. Further, the 4th generation HIV tests are conclusive any time more than 4 weeks after the last possible exposure, so your result at almost 5 weeks is proof you didn't catch HIV and no further testing is needed.

If you would like to provide more information about the exposure, I might have more advice about it: your sex, the sex of your HIV+ partner, and the exposure itself (vaginal, anal, oral, i.e. who did what to whom). Also it might be useful to know whether s/he is on anti-HIV treatment and how recently the last viral load was done. But based on what I know now, you should have no worries about and don't need any more testing. Of course other STDs might be another story, depending on these details. Feel free to let me know.

Best wishes-- HHH, MD

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99 months ago

I am male and my partner is male, anal, oral you name it we did it. I was lied to in fact i was told by him he was negative and he even showed me current test results that showed he was Neg is that even possible? But that was not the case his roommate told me the truth and that he is on Anti-Viral meds for well over 3 years and that he takes them every evening and told me he shouldn't be doing anything with me without protection. The latest exposure was not the first by any means and i have been tested in the past and was Negative as well this has been going on for over a year and I test regularly . I have taken all STD testing and everything is Negative with exception to HSV-1 which i already knew i had prior. Now this latest round has me worried and i don't know if its the anxiety of learning of his status or not. But the only thing i had was pain in my left leg for the last few weeks and now a swollen gland in my left leg as well. It has me scared.

I do not know his viral load status i was told he was checked a couple of months ago, but we do not know his viral load. if any indication of his status I was exposed prior on July 2, 2016 and I am still Negative as of my latest test.

H. Hunter Handsfield, MD

99 months ago

OK, thanks for the details. Sorry to hear you were misinformed by your partner, who behaved immorally and unethically. However, it is also true that HIV is rarely if ever transmitted by infected persons on anti-HIV treatment and have undetectable viral loads. Equally important, your negative 4th generation test at 33 days proves for sure you weren't infected. Whatever the risk was at the time and regardless of any symptoms you have now or might get in the future, you didn't catch HIV from this event.

Having said all that, here comes a lecture: In the event you had been infected, it would have been your responsibility and fault as much as your partner's. You chose to have unprotected sex. If you continue to have condomless sex with other men (especially anal sex, either bottom or top), you can expect to have HIV someday. And aside from HIV, you risked all the other STDs, some of which are very dangerous. We're currently in the midst of a national epidemic of syphilis among men who have sex with men, some of whom have had strokes or gone blind from syphilis.

In summary, you don't have HIV now and might view yourself as having luckily dodged a bullet. But please do some thinking about your sexual plans going forward.

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