New HIV test result timely meaningful

Change in guidelines for HIV testing: result is already available after six weeks
Anyone who has previously taken an HIV test in Germany had to wait three months before being told the final result. That should change now. According to the German Aids-Hilfe, the procedure will provide a reliable diagnosis in the future after just six weeks by changing the guidelines for HIV tests. "Good news: with modern HIV testing, you can be certain of it earlier. This is a relief for many people and can motivate them to take the test, "Armin Schafberger, medical adviser to the German AIDS Aid, quoted in a statement from the association.

Combination method in HIV test allows faster diagnosis
Anyone who fears that they have been infected with HIV after having a risk situation will only have to wait six weeks for the test result. "So far, people have been told: You have to wait three months, otherwise it's not safe," reports Holger Wicht, spokesman for the German AIDS Aid, to the news agency "dpa". The result is not immediately available because the number of viruses and antibodies is only gradually increasing. According to experts, in most cases six weeks were enough for this. The responsible medical societies now shortened the required deadline accordingly.

New test procedure makes diagnosing HIV much easier. (Picture: beermedia.de/fotolia.com)

"This is a relief for many people and can motivate them to take the test," said Schafberger in an interview with the news agency. The shorter time window is made possible by a more sensitive and combined procedure as well as several checks of this test. In this so-called Ag-Ab combination test, it is checked whether antigens (Ag) and antibodies (Ak) are present in the blood of the person concerned. Compared to older versions, this method allows earlier and more reliable detection of antibodies. In addition, the combination test can indicate an antigen, the p24 protein of the pathogen. Although this is only temporarily detectable in the blood, it can already be detected after about two to three weeks after infection. "However, since the infection can be individually different, p24 and antibodies are detectable in rare cases only a little later. It is safe to rule out an infection only after six weeks, "says the German AIDS Aid.

So far valid three-month deadline for HIV testing was for safety
According to the German Aidshilfe, these procedures have been in existence since 1997 and are now used by almost all laboratories. However, there were longer deadlines for people who want to get tested for HIV. "The three-month deadline, which was previously valid, was simply a safety factor," explains Jörg Hofmann, a virologist at the Berlin University Hospital Charité, to the news agency. "Of course you want to be sure that the test does not identify anyone as HIV-negative who got infected - just because they tested too soon." Many studies had been necessary to confirm that the test was successful for most people Delivering a safe result already after six weeks.

The German Association for the Suppression of Viral Diseases (DVV) and the Society for Virology (GfV) follow the European directives with their comments, which were adapted accordingly a year ago. In the UK, the diagnostic deadline for the combined test is as low as four weeks.

In this country changes in addition to the shortened time window something else. Because those affected can also get a confirmation faster in the future. So far, in the first test, if it provided evidence of an infection, it was not clear whether he struck for antibodies or because of antigens that are still present in the blood before the formation of antibodies. If it was the antigen, it could not recognize the previous confirmatory method, the Western blot test. For those affected, this meant a time of uncertainty until antibodies were detectable.

A blood test will suffice for HIV testing in the future
The new guidelines therefore foresee a genetic test (PCR) in the future with a negative Western blot test. This can confirm HIV infection without antibodies. Although many physicians would already use the procedure in practice, "so far this has not been applied to the registration form," explains Schafberger. "But you want to report the infection to the Robert Koch Institute and give the patient a clean result."

The uncertainty is distressing for those affected. "That's why it's psychologically good to know sooner," says Klaus Überla, director of the Virological Institute at the University Hospital Erlangen, to the news agency. A further advantage is that in the future a sample will suffice for both tests, the screening test and the confirmation. "Then the person affected does not have to be written again, give blood again." (Ag)