HIV DIAGNOSIS
The diagnosis of HIV infection can be performed via different techniques available. The
techniques are used to screen and confirm the diagnosis on time otherwise, it will lead to life-threatening complications. Mostly the tests are performed to detect the presence of antibodies against HIV proteins in serum or plasma and also the viral nucleic acid, which rarely occurs in other medical conditions.
Some of them are discussed below:
HIV ELISA or EIA Test
The HIV Enzyme-Linked ImmunoSorbent Assay (ELISA), also known as an enzyme immunoassay (EIA), detects HIV antibodies and antigens in the blood sample. It is commonly and highly used because of its extreme sensitivity to antibodies not only in case of HIV but also for other infectious conditions. ELISA technique has fastened the test outcomes and decrease the ‘window period’ from 12 weeks to less than three weeks in recent times.
A false-positive result is the major drawback of these techniques. So, it has been advised to go for or use Western blot after positive results with ELISA.