[Question #12585] Question about testing

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6 months ago
I know I’ve just been asking the same question over and over I just can’t seem to relax my mind and waiting is making it even harder, I took a chlymidia and gonorreah test 6 days after my encounter and a oral saliva test were I just had to spit in a tube for chlymidia and Gomorrah which also had syphilis, hsv 1 and 2 and a couple other STDs included all was negative, now 2 weeks later I came down with a 24 hour thing of vomiting and diarrhea. I know that 2 weeks is to early to test for hiv and syphilis but how accurate is the saliva sample I did it? It said it was looking for the bacteria that causes it, and when I look up test accuracy’s for hiv and syphilis it says 4 weeks is 99.9 percent accurate but you guys say 6 weeks is the standard what changes in 2 weeks for the test? Should I try and get some kinda antibiotics to treat any chance of an infection I could have gotten? Sorry for the same question over and over just can’t seem to relax 
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Edward W. Hook M.D.
6 months ago
Welcome back to the Forum.  I reviewed your earlier interaction with Dr. Handsfield two weeks ago and agree with all that he said.  The encounter you describe was very, very low risk.  In response to your specific questions:

I would not have confidence in a saliva test for gonorrhea or chlamydia.  The standard approved test is a swab test taken from the throat.  A saliva test is not a recommended test and would certainly detect a smaller proportion of tests that a swab test.

Vomiting and diarrhea are not signs of an STI and are likely unrelated to the encounter you continue to worry about.

If you wish to test for syphilis and HIV, the test should be a blood test and testing should be done no sooner than at 4 weeks when most but not all infections would be detected.  As Dr. Handsfield told you, the standard recommendation is 6 weeks for definitive results- that additional two weeks between 4 and 6 weeks only detects a small proportion of gonorrhea and chlamydial infections.

I urge you not to seek antibiotics.  It will not help and will only confuse things if you continue to worry.  Your risk of infection remains very close to zero.  EWH
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6 months ago
So do you recommend I go get a throat swab even with a negative urine sample and is 4 weeks  syphilis test that’s negative I can assume it’s conclusive? 
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Edward W. Hook M.D.
6 months ago
Your risk for having acquired gonorrhea or chlamydia is very, very low.  Testing is always a personal choice but in your situation I would not bother to seek testing.

If I had a negative 4 week test I would not worry further.

One follow-up remaining.  EWH
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