[Question #13449] HIV testing
|
3 months ago
|
Hello,
I had an unprotected oral & vaginal exposure with a female at a massage parlor.
22 days after I did a Insti finger prick test negative and same day 4th generation Abbott rapid test negative.
35 days after I had another 4th generation Abbott rapid test negative.
73 days after I did an Oraquick rapid saliva test negative.
My symptoms started several weeks after exposure- cluster headaches every day, aching lymph nodes in neck and groin.
What is your advise?
Thanks
|
3 months ago
|
To clarify, I meant 22 days post exposure for 1st test, 35 days post exposure for second, 73 days post exposure for 3rd.
|
H. Hunter Handsfield, MD
2 months ago
|
Welcome to the forum and thanks for your confidence in our services.
You should be having no worries at all. First, you had a zero risk exposure in regard to HIV -- or close enough to zero that you should ignore it. First, if you're in the US, Western Europe, or most other industrialized countries, a partner like yours is exceedingly unlikely to have HIV. Second, condoms are excellent protection from infection by vaginal sex. Third, there has never been a proved case of HIV transmitted oral to penis. (An estimate of risk by CDC was that if the oral partner is infected and untreated, the penile partner has a risk of one in 20,000. That's equivalent to receiving BJs by infected partners daily for 55 years before becoming infected might be expected.)
Accordingly, from a medical/risk standpoint, there was no need for HIV testing. (That said, of course reassurance itself is a valid reason for HIV testing -- even when the risk is zero or close to it, so I'm not criticizing your decision to be tested. Your symptoms don't even hint at HIV; and it's impossible to have HIV symptoms more than a month after exposure and not test positive. It isn't HIV itself that causes symptoms, but the immune response to the virus -- and immune response means antibody must be present in the blood.
In any case, your test results so far are nearly conclusive proof you did not acquire HIV. That said, the oral fluids test remains negative in up to 3-5% of infected people; it is never the proper test when ruling out recently acquired infection. Your negative AgAb (4th generation) test at 35 days is ~99% conclusive; it takes 42-45 days for 100% reliability. If I were in your situation, I wouldn't feel the need -- but if you need a 100% conclusive test result in order to cease all worry, have another AgAb test whenever you like. If you do it, you can count on another negative result.
I hope these comments are helpful. Let me know if anything isn't clear.
HHH, MD
---|
2 months ago
|
Thank you for this. I’m not sure if you missed it but I mentioned unprotected vaginal and you mentioned condom use.
|
2 months ago
|
And sorry, to clarify, it was cunulingus. What is the exposure risk in that? Thanks
|
H. Hunter Handsfield, MD
2 months ago
|
Right -- somehow I thought the vaginal component was condom protected. Sorry, but it doesn't change my evaluation or advice. Even with no condom, the average risk to the male partner from unprotected vaginal sex with an HIV infected (and untreated) female partner averages under one chance in 2,000 (per a published CDC estimate). And your partner probably did not have HIV. Considering these facts and your test results, the odds you have HIV are under one in many million.---
|
2 months ago
|
Thank you for this.
What is the statistic for potential infection from giving cunnilingus?
|
H. Hunter Handsfield, MD
2 months ago
|
To my knowledge, there has never been a reported case of HIV acquired by cunnilingus, either for the oral or vaginal partner. One estimate from CDC was one chance in 20,000 for the oral partner, IF the vaginal partner has untreated HIV. That's equivalent to performing oral on infected women once daily for 55 years before infection might be likely.
---
That completes the two follow-up comments and replies included with each question and so ends this thread. I hope the discussion has been helpful. Best wishes and stay safe.
