Usually, antibodies are detected in the blood when a person is HIV positive and vice versa to HIV negative people.
These antibodies are usually detected in blood samples and sometimes saliva through oral swab. Apart from the aforementioned body fluids, it has been found that you can test the virus with your urine.
It might sound bizarre, however according to a report (hivinsite), urine can as well be used in identifying antibodies.
In this case, we will use ELISA test to detect the antibodies. For the ELISA test, the urine sample will be sent to a laboratory for analysis. A lab technician will add the sample to a device that contains HIV antigen and anti-HIV antibodies.
Alternatively, you can resort to perform the test at home by simply following the principles. Gather some urine in a bowl.
Transfer the some urine sample in a petri dish containing the specific antigen. If your blood contains antibodies to the antigen, the two will bind together. You will note this by a signal amplification whereby there will be a brighter color on the background
It normally take a couple of hours to detect the antibodies. However, the Western blot will be employed to confirm positive results from an ELISA test. Basically, it is usually used as confirmatory test.
Positive results in this case mean; if the antibodies are detected, then you are HIV positive. Whereas if the antibodies are not detected, then you are in a stable condition, HIV negative.
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