Hi, Benjamin. I went for HIV test in December 2005 after discovering that i had TB and the results came back positive through the Elisa test. I did that test once. In most of your correspondence you seem to advise that suh a test should followed by the confirmatory test called the Western Blot Test. In my case the doctor proposed that i go straight for the PCR test to detect the amount of the virus in the body. My concern is that is it proper to do the PCR test without conducting the Western Blood Test to confirm the the initial Elisa results or repeating the Elisa test more than once .If the PCR can be used as confirmatory test, why do you always empasise on the Western Blot Test? Could there be problems using the PCR as a confirmatory test? This is sometimes confusing to some of us who follow most of your advice. Your clarification can help while i'm patiently waiting for the PCR results.

Your comments are always inspiring.

Thank you

Thanks for your post and your nice words-- they are very meaningful to me.

What I refered to was the typical sequence of events here in the US. A positive ELISA with a positive PCR would certainly be sufficient to make the diagnosis of HIV.

Good luck, BY