[Question #8922] Hiv test

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38 months ago
Hello Doctor

1- For the 4th gen hiv test , is a negative result conclusive at 60days from exposure? Or I should wait till 90 days ? And can the result change after 90 days ?

2- I just rubbed my penis through her (anus) while she is naked without inserting my penis but i had Seminal Flui while rubbing. Can this type of exposure transmit HIV ? 

3- is HIV-1 PCR (Qualitative) accurate test ? I heard it give a high false-positive percentage so that’s why it’s not recommended ?

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H. Hunter Handsfield, MD
38 months ago
Welcome to the forum. Thanks for your confidence in our services.

1) Yes:  Negative HIV antigen-antibody (AgAb, "4th generation", "combo", "duo") blood test results are conclusive any time 6 weeks or more after exposure.  So for sure at 60 days; and (by definition) that means the results cannot change at 90 days or any other time. Once positive by 6 weeks, the test remains positive for life, no matter how long that is. You needn't waste your money, time, or emotional energy on another test.

2. This is an exceedingly low risk exposure. Without actual penile penetration into a partner's vagina or rectum, sexual contact of any kind almost never transmits the virus. Another consideration here is the likelihood your partner has HIV. If she is a cis-gender (i.e. birth gender) female, and not a male to female transgender, the chance she has HIV is probably no higher than around one in a thousand, assuming you're in the US and she is not at especially high risk (sex work, injection drug use, etc).

3. Only partly true. The false positive rate of HIV PCR is extremely low. Not zero, but the low risk of false positives is one reason some experts don't recommend it. On the other hand, for a truly high risk exposure (which you did not have), it is still recommended to detect infection earlier than the antibody or AgAb tests. In fact, PCR is an important component of protecting the blood supply:  all donated blood is tested by PCR in addition to an AgAb test. Blood banks rarely have to deal with their donors over false positive test results. Another issue, however, is expense:  cost is one of the reasons authorities recommend it only in particularly high risk situations. I would not recommend it in the low risk situation you describe.

I hope these comments are helpful. Let me know if anything isn't clear.

HHH, MD
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38 months ago

Actually i was wearing my under-wear a boxer, while she's ( girl) naked and i just rubbed my penis through her rectum should i worry about it?

2- is body fluid like semen and vaginal fluid can transmit HIV even outside the body ? Like by touching it or using a towel contain some fluids ?


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H. Hunter Handsfield, MD
38 months ago
Truly zero risk. HIV and STIs are not transmitted through clothing.

And no, contact with infected fluids (blood, semen, vaginal fluids, etc) is never a risk. Not enough virus or bacteria can survive and be infectious after even brief periods of air exposure, drying, etc. Even after years living in the same home and sharing toilets, kitchens, towels, clothing, or often beds with HIV or STI infected persons, nobody ever becomes infected (not counting that person's sex partners, of course). 
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38 months ago
I was so worried and under anxiety. 

So if i was wearing a boxer and had seminal flui while rubbing to her rectum still no risk ?

2- if antibodies didn’t show up in the body system that means the antigen p24 still there and the 4th gen combo test will detect the antigen? 

3- can anxiety and worry affect hiv antibodies in the body-system  and affect the result of 4th gen combo test ?

Many thanks Doctor

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H. Hunter Handsfield, MD
38 months ago
1. Still no risk. Your own semen cannot be a risk for you, only for a partner, if you had HIV.

2. Correct; that's the beauty of the AgAb test. Once positive, detecting antibody, antigen or both, it is positive for life. There are no exceptions.

3. Nope. Anxiety has no effect. There are NO medical conditions, medications, drugs, mental health situations, or anything else you might think of that have any effect on these tests -- another beauty of them. The only exception is when people take anti-HIV drugs after exposure (post exposure prophylaxis, PEP) and they don't work to prevent infection. In that case, the 6 week window for reliable results starts when treatment is complete instead of at the time of exposure.

That completes the two follow-up questions and replies included with each initial question, and so ends this thread. I hope the discussion has been useful. (Perhaps you will also like knowing that in the roughly 15 year of this and our preceding forum at MedHelp, with thousands of questions from persons worried about HIV exposure, not one has ever reported back that they became HIV positive. You won't be the first! If and when that finally happens, I am confident it will be a truly high risk exposure, not a near-zero risk like yours. Do your best to stop worrying over nothing!

Best wishes and stay safe.
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38 months ago
Doctor you mean by saying “since 15 years here not one has ever reported back that they became HIV positive”. You mean after a negative result test by 60 days or after 6 weeks ?
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H. Hunter Handsfield, MD
38 months ago
Nobody who asked about HIV risk and testing on this forum has ever reported back that they tested positive, no matter when they tested. I'm positive we would have been told if that happened. As I said, you will not be the first-- believe it!

That concludes this thread. Best wishes and stay safe.
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