Well, come to think of it, I DO have an AIDs-related question:
The "six month waiting period" for the standard ELISA
test makes that test, to me, nearly useless.
I realize that the LABS, the Test Makers, et al, want to
cover their ass by making an overly long period for the
anitbodies to be detectable. That really makes their test
much less useful.
However, I have heard that the anti-bodies CAN be detectable
in shorter periods of time, say, as little as six weeks.
does anyone know what the probabilities are for this ?
They say that after 6 months, the ELISA/Western Blot combination
used by most clinics is 99.x% capable of detecting.
I.E., there is a less than one percent false negative rate.
I also have heard (but don’t quote me on this! – I’m not sure)
that the ELISA/WB combo is 98% effective after 3 months. which
translates into a 2% false negative rate.
MY QUEST:
1. does anyone know what the true figures are ?
2. what are the false negative rates at 1.5 months ?
3. What are the false negative rates at 3 months ?
If you really want to know what’s going on then forget about ELIZAs and
Western Blots. Because they detect only antibodies and not the virus
itself there will always be this "window". This window can be as small as
a week or as big as a year, depending on the individual and his/her immune
system’s reactivity. Because each test refers to an individual, statistics
are of no use. The only thing that tells you the true story is PCR
(Polymerase Chain Reaction). With this method you can detect genetic
material of the virus directly. Physicians use this test to measure the
"viral load" in infected persons, but it should also be ok for detecting a
new infection. Unfortunately it is still expensive (Here in Germany about
500 DM equivalent to 330 US$.
Hope that answers your questions
Siegi
SSi…@aol.com
I know about PCR (Gene Amplif)
But it’s TOO EXPENSIVE !!!
In article <4gabo4$…@newsbf02.news.aol.com>, ssi…@aol.com (SSiegi) says:
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -
>If you really want to know what’s going on then forget about ELIZAs and
>Western Blots. Because they detect only antibodies and not the virus
>itself there will always be this "window". This window can be as small as
>a week or as big as a year, depending on the individual and his/her immune
>system’s reactivity. Because each test refers to an individual, statistics
>are of no use. The only thing that tells you the true story is PCR
>(Polymerase Chain Reaction). With this method you can detect genetic
>material of the virus directly. Physicians use this test to measure the
>"viral load" in infected persons, but it should also be ok for detecting a
>new infection. Unfortunately it is still expensive (Here in Germany about
>500 DM equivalent to 330 US$.
>Hope that answers your questions
>Siegi
>SSi…@aol.com