can you take one test and it comes out pos buttake another one and it comes out neg
2006-07-13 00:19:21 · 2 answers · asked by Anonymous in Health ➔ Diseases & Conditions ➔ STDs
Yes, If your talking about HIV. The first test that is done is called an ELISA test, if this comes out negative, you are conclusively negative, if it comes out positive though, it is not considered conclusive. All positive ELISA tests are followed up by a Western Blot Test. I suggest you talk to you Doctor as this site is not a substitute for the advice of a medical professional. TALK TO YOUR DOCTOR!
2006-07-13 01:00:19 · answer #1 · answered by johnhategoblins 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes. You can get false negatives and false positives for any test. If there is reasonable suspicion for a negative to be false, such as you have a rash but the herpes (HSVI or HSVII, and you can get either simplex either orally or genitally) test came back negative, it's possible that your body has not produced enough antibodies to be detected yet. When they test for a virus, they test for antibodies against the virus because these are easier to detect than the virus itself. It usually takes 2-3 tests over several months, typically between 6 months to a year, to establish a reliable negative or positive result. This applies to HIV and HPV as well.
When it comes to bacterial infection or a parasitic infection, a positive is usually going to be a positive and a negative is usually going to be a negative, although it is possible to get false results on these as well.
2006-07-13 09:43:11 · answer #2 · answered by sovereign_carrie 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋