Is an HIV ELISA test reliable 5 months after exposure?

Question

Hi doctor,

I am 29 years old. I had protected sex with a call girl for five months. But I want to confirm whether I was infected with any disease. I have read on the internet that the window period for HIV is three months, and hence, to confirm, I have undergone HIV testing called ELISA (Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent Assay). The result of which is non-reactive, and the value is 0.062. Again, I repeated the test, and it showed a result as non-reactive with the value of 0.104. The two reports have been attached here. Regarding symptoms, I did not develop any fever or allergy in the last four months.

Is the ELISA test reliable?
Is there any need for me to take any other test or repeat the test?
Can I stop worrying, as I have already covered the window period?
Why did the test show some values like 0.6 and 0.104?
Does it indicate the presence of any disease?
What is the window period?

Please help me in detail as I am very worried.

Answer 1

Hi,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I have read your query and can understand your concern.

Let me answer one by one. Yes, ELISA is highly reliable (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay). It has got the sensitivity of 99.97% after three months of exposure, which means out of 10,000 HIV positive people, it can correctly identify 9,997 people as HIV positive. There is no need to repeat any test or opt for further tests. You can consider it as confirmatory.

Testing at six months is only recommended for those who have taken post-exposure prophylaxis within 72 hours of HIV exposure. There is no need to worry. If the condom was intact during sex, then you are not at risk. Values do not matter as long as you are non-reactive, and no two values of any test can be exactly the same; all have some technical limitations.

The window period is four weeks in more than 95% of infected people, and for the remaining 5%, it can extend up to three months. If you still want to get tested, then go for HIV RT-PCR (reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction). It will detect any HIV element if present, but in my personal opinion, you do not need this.

I hope I have answered your query.

Please let me know if I can assist you further.

Thank you.