Can oral HIV test give false results?

False positive results are quite a rare event, but in a community where very few people have HIV, true positive results are even rarer. In a setting where HIV is more common, a reactive result is less likely to be a false positive. For example, take a test with 99.5\% sensitivity and 99.5\% specificity.

Can you get a false positive with OraQuick?

It is extremely important for those who self-test using the OraQuick In-Home HIV Test to carefully read and follow all labeled directions. Even when used according to the labeled directions, there will be some false negative results and a small number of false positive results.

How accurate are HIV mouth tests?

The key reason that there are lower quantities of HIV antibodies in oral fluid than in whole blood, especially after recent infection. In seven studies which made a direct comparison of test performance, the pooled sensitivity with oral fluid was 98.03\%, compared to 99.68\% with whole blood.

How often is OraQuick wrong?

Clinical testing revealed that OraQuick would likely deliver one false negative test result for every 13 true positive test results. That could lead to up to 3,800 people per year thinking they do not have HIV, when in reality, they are infected with the virus.

What if I test positive for HIV?

A nucleic acid test (NAT) can usually tell you if you have HIV infection 10 to 33 days after an exposure. An antigen/antibody test performed by a laboratory on blood from a vein can usually detect HIV infection 18 to 45 days after an exposure.

What is a false positive result for HIV?

A false positive typically results from the test incorrectly identifying non-HIV antibodies as HIV antibodies. A person may want to seek support after a false-positive result. After receiving the initial result, the healthcare provider will perform an additional test to ensure that the result is accurate.

What can cause a false positive medical test result?

Test interference from patient-specific factors, such as the presence of human antibodies (for example, Rheumatoid Factor, or other non-specific antibodies) or highly viscous specimens could also lead to false positive results.

Do HIV tests detect HIV?

This is called a false negative. The CDC recommends these blood tests. They can detect HIV earlier than antibody screening tests. They check for HIV antigen, a protein called p24 that’s part of the virus and shows up 2 to 4 weeks after infection. They also check for HIV antibodies. A rapid antibody/antigen test can give results in 20 minutes.