Test reliability

Apr 14, 2011

Hi Doc,

I am 24, male, living in Manila, Philippines. My last risky bhavior was on December 12, 2010. And I got tested on March 27, 2011. Test is for HIV 1&2, and the result is as follows: cut-off value 1.00; patient count 0.41; non-reactive. Am I alright?

And in those months before I get tested, I took reishi spore and drank a lot of green tea and virgin coconut oil for these were believed to destroy some viruses in the body. Will these affect the validity and accuracy of my result? I also read that one needs to get tested 6 months or even as much as a year or two to get accurate results after the risky behavior. And do you think that the way the test is conducted in the Philippines would be any different from those in the other parts of the world, say the US? A week or two before I underwent the test, I had slight fever and runny nose sometimes stuffy.

Doc, do I have to worry about anything?

Hope you can help. Thanks!

Moliere

Additional: Test reliability (Submitted Apr 10, 2011)

Hi Doc,

And is the patient count of 0.41 from a cut-off value of 1.00 considered high?

Moliere

Response from Dr. Frascino

Hello Moliere,

Loved your play "Le Misanthrope"!

Now on to your question. Unfortunately you don't describe your "risky behavior." Often a negative HIV-antibody test at the three-month mark can be considered definitive. If, however, you had a significant HIV exposure (for instance, unprotected receptive anal sex with a partner confirmed to be HIV positive), a follow-up test at six months would be recommended. You can read much more about HIV diagnostic testing in the archives of this forum and elsewhere on this site. Check it out!

Regarding your results, anything less than 1.0 would be a negative test. Your value of 0.41 is less than 1.0 and therefore a negative test result.

Reishi spore, green tea and virgin coconut oil have absolutely no effect on HIV-antibody test result validity or accuracy, nor do they have any affect on the HIV virus!

HIV testing is well standardized around the world, including the Philippines. Stop worrying and go write another classic French play, OK?

Dr. Bob