Question
What tests do I need for HIV and HCV?
4 January 2008. Related: All topics, HIV testing, HIV transmission.
If you come in to contact with someone who is HIV/HCV coinfected, what tests do you need and how long do you have to wait before you can have these tests? Can you have an antibody test for both? Is the window period 3 or 6 months? There is a lot of contradicting information on the web and would like a clear answer if poss.
Answer
There are antibody tests for HIV and HCV. All serological tests, however, need some time before they can detect the antibodies, as the body needs time to produce those antibodies.
The window period for HIV usually varies between 1-3 months. After 3 months, more than 99% of the infections will be detected. In a tiny number of people, the body takes longer to produce antibodies, hence the information that one needs to test at month 6 as well.
For both HIV and HCV, a PCR (viral load) test can be used for detection of recent infections. If you had a risky contact not long ago, many medical professionals will consider those, regardless of the fact that the PCR tests are more expensive than the serological ones.