Question 1

I had unprotected oral sex 7 days ago with someone who said they have a low CD4 count, so I am worried they might be HIV positive. I started PEP at around 69 to 70 hours after the incident and have been taking it for 4 days. Now, I have symptoms like intermittent fever, swollen lymph nodes, sore throat, rash, and joint pain (especially in the knees). Are these symptoms due to HIV infection or side effects of the medicine? My initial test was negative, when should I get tested again?

Question 2

Why do I see a pink horizontal line near the p55, p31, and gp41 regions on my Western blot test, but it does not look like a proper band? My report says no bands were detected and that I am negative. I asked two doctors who are not sexologists, and they said it is nothing to worry about and the pink line might be something else. My previous TriDot test was also negative. The lab said that bands need to be clearly formed to be positive, and in my case, no bands appeared. Can I be sure that these results are accurate? My exposure was 8 years ago, but I still have many symptoms of AIDS.

Question 3

I recently took an HIV RNA PCR test 90 days after exposure, and the results were negative. Can I consider this as a conclusive result? Is there any chance that the result could be wrong at this stage or due to the diagnostic centre while reporting? Please help me.

I had sex only once, and I used a condom. But my report says HIV reactive. How is this possible? I know people who have sex often yet they are not HIV positive. Just one time and I am positive? I am really disturbed. What should I do now?

False positives can happen. You should repeat the test with a confirmatory method (Western Blot, HIV 1/2 differentiation, or PCR) at 2 to 4 weeks and again at 12 weeks if needed.

More HIV-1 RNA PCR - QUALITATIVE Health Queries

I recently took an HIV RNA PCR test 90 days after exposure, and the results were negative. Can I consider this as a conclusive result? Is there any chance that the result could be wrong at this stage or due to the diagnostic centre while reporting? Please help me.