Expert: John Thai, M.D. - 2/2/2009

Question
I recently found out my partner is positive. I received the OraCheck Advanced Rapid (antibody test) and came up negative. I am concerned that I antibodies may not yet be detectable. The clinic offered to do a p24 antigen test next weekend but said there is a 3 week turnaround. Do you know if a quicker turnaround is possible and if so how I could find such a test site? Thank you in advance. It would go a long way to granting me peace in one direction or the other.

Answer
Hi Nickolaus,

I believe you may have been misinformed. The turnaround for a p24 antigen test is usually a few days to a week at most. The recommendation is that a p24 antigen test should not be performed until 2-3 weeks after the date of exposure (i.e. sex, blood-to-blood contact, needle sharing, etc). The reason is that p24 antigen levels rise and fall with HIV levels in the body. Once an individual is exposed to HIV, it takes the body approximately 1 week to 3 weeks for laboratory tests to confirm an accurate reading. There are other tests such as NAT (nucleic acid amplification test) which can provide an accurate result for individuals who may have been exposed within 2-3 weeks from the time of the date of exposure. It usually takes a few days to a week to receive the results.

My best advice would be to ask the clinic again if the results take that long. In the meantime, there are HIV counselors available for you to talk to. If that clinic is a STI clinic, they should have counselors available to help you ease your worries. If it is not a STI clinic, then there are non-profit organizations which offer free HIV counseling.