HIV Duo Test
This HIV test can detect the virus from 28 days after infection. This is a 4th generation test. It is also called a "Duo" test, as it looks for both the antibodies for HIV 1 and HIV 2, as well as the p24 antigen.
An antigen is a foreign substance that triggers the body's creation of antibodies. With an HIV infection, the p24 protein is the antigen that most commonly triggers the body's antibody response. During the first few weeks after someone becomes infected, the p24 antigen becomes detectable in their blood. The antigen is the first marker of HIV being present, and rises to be reliably detected at day 28 following potential exposire.
This test can detect an infection before the antibody test on its own can. It is used for diagnosing HIV much earlier in the course of infection. Together with an antibody test, the p24 antigen is very accurate in determining early on whether an individual has been infected with HIV.
This Better2Know HIV test is extremely accurate at 28 days and is now the recommended test for HIV diagnosis.
Your Better2Know clinician will send your blood sample to our laboratory and the results are usually available the same day as the sample is received in the testing laboratory. The Better2Know test is considered 99.8% accurate at 28 days, this accuracy increases to 99.9% at 90 days, after any potential contact.