Women's Health Promotion Unit

-- Name withheld

HIV (Human Immunodefficiency Virus) is diagnosed in the laboratory by using an ELISA assay to find the critical presence of the antibodies to the virus in the blood. When present, a person is said to be 'HIV positive', and when absent, 'HIV negative'. Most studies have indicated that a period of about six months is required from first exposure to a significant dose of the virus, for the immune system to manufacture enough antibodies to recognize in the blood as evidence of the prior exposure. Recent studies with more sensitive test suggest that the conversion from negative to positive can be detected in 3-4 months. Of course, many but not all sero-positive persons, especially those not treated early after an exposure, develop AIDS, the acronym for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome.

Another expression, using the words 'positive and negative' in juxtaposition, is when a person is HIV positive, but the immune system has not begun to fail producing T-cells, and is not, therefore, diagnosed as having AIDS, or is called 'negative' for the disease. So an individual may be described as HIV 'positive', AIDS 'negative'. Confusing, isn't it?

I found for you nearly 80,000 medical abstracts on this subject on the Internet: double-click on this blue-colored string and search the PubMed library by typing in the words HIV. Many articles under that topic will be listed for your further selection and information.

I hope that this information is helpful for you, and Good Health!

LeRoy Heinrichs, MD

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