Hello Doctors, I was using a biosure home HIV rapid test kit to test for HIV but I touched the actual test membrane strip, my finger did have a cut due to the lancet I used to prick my finger. Does the test strip membrane have live HIV antigen/virus on it and am I at risk from this contact?

Welcome to our forum and thanks for your question. The Biosure HIV test contains antigens for detection of HIV antibody but does not contain live, infectious virus. You are not at risk from having touched the membrane.  Further, having touched the membrane will not have any effect on the performance of the test. You can believe the results. EWH---

Thank you for the reassurance doctor. So to clarify, the antigens present on the strip are not capable of infection even if they came into contact with my cut? Thank you for all your work with the community both here and previously on medhelp I have read many of your answers!

Repetitive.  The antigens are viral protein fragments and not whole virus.  They cannot cause infection. They are not virus.  EWH ---

My final question doctor, would the HIV virus be able to live on the test membrane anyway? I have heard it becomes inactive when exposed to air and room temperature, I understand I may be repetitive just wanted to make sure thank you.

You are correct.  HIV quickly becomes non infectious on exposure to the environment outside the body.  Persons are not at risk for infection following contact with inanimate objects contaminated with infectious material.---