[Question #8621] Cross Reactivity
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41 months ago
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Good Morning, I had an encounter with a 49 year old white female in rural Georgia. The sex was unprotected (i know, bad idea). She is aware of my anxieties and also upset with herself for putting herself in the same situation. She told me it had been over 95 days (she knew exact date) since she had sex before me, and went for STD Testing (4th Gen, etc...) a week after our encounter. All negative. She is a cervical cancer survivor, and been cancer free for 8 months, so i am not sure if that affects hiv tests. But... i am an anxious person, so i feel i need to get tested myself. Today is 4 1/2 weeks since our encounter, and i was all set to get tested. Until i read
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34777794/#:~:text=Although%20HIV%20immunoassay%20tests%20have,the%20Australian%20COVID%2D19%20vaccination.
and
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2049080121009778
Seems some people are having a cross reactivity between covid and hiv tests. So now i am worried about a false positive. I had covid 2 1/2 weeks ago (confirmed rapid & lab -- all nasal swabs). No complications from covid, other than a cough & headache for a few days. Still not vaccinated yet, if that matters. What are your thoughts on this?
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Edward W. Hook M.D.
41 months ago
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Welcome to our form. Thanks for your questions. I’ll be glad to come out. Before I get to the issue of cross-reactivity, let me find out that given the characteristics of your partner as well as her own recent test results, the likelihood that you acquired any STI at all is extraordinarily unlikely.
Cross-reactivity and false positive results are, fortunately, very very rare with tests for HIV. In addition, should you have an initial test which is positive, before the result would be reported to you it would be confirmed with a second unrelated test. In this way true or false positive results from routine laboratory testing for HIV is extraordinary. I would not worry about it.
I hope this perspective and information is helpful to you. EWH
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Edward W. Hook M.D.
41 months ago
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Let me add that I having just looked at the two links you provided, these are each case reports. In each instance after the initial positive screening test they were confirmed as negative in the manner I indicated above. Whether or not the reactive test results reported here are due to chance alone (millions and millions of tests for HIV are done and millions of people have COVID-19) or due to some chance cross-reactivity between antibody response to the viruses is unclear. I would approach your testing with confidence that the results will be accurate. EWH ---
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41 months ago
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Thank You doctor for the quick reply. So if you were in my shoes, would you test today and be done with it (31 days) or wait for the 6+ weeks?
If in fact she was untruthful, and she had sex before we met (days to a week before) would transmission be possible? In the so called "eclipse" period?
Would Cancer cause any type of delayed seroconversion? Like maybe it weakened her immune system?
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Edward W. Hook M.D.
41 months ago
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I would test today and be done with this. Your risk of HIV is tiny and my sense is that you would like to put this behind you. A negative test at 31 days will do that.
The likelihood that she lied (why would she?) and that she had HIV is tiny.
No, her past cancer would not contribute to delayed seroconversion.
EWH
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41 months ago
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Well Doctor, finally got in for a 10 panel test on day 42. (4th generation hiv, syphilis, etc) all was negative. Thank God. Safe to put this all behind me?
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Edward W. Hook M.D.
41 months ago
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Final response. I’m pleased to hear that you were able to get your tests and then all were negative. It is now time to put your concerns behind you and move forward. No reason for continuing concern and no reason for additional testing. Take care. EWH---