Please, I need your help.
I had sex with a sex worker and I had two little scratches in the basis of my penis and maybe they were not covered by condom.
I tested 6 weeks after the fact. The test was negative. I read in this Forum that if the test is 4th generation, the odds of HIV infection at this time is too low. But I don't know if my test is a 4th generation one. I ask in the clinic but they don't know and don't allow me to talk to the responsible person for the test.
I live in Brasil. I'm gonna try to translate my test below.
Antibody Anti-Hiv 1 and 2
Test Results - Nonreactive - 0.18
Method - Chemiluminescence
Reference: Nonreactive: less than 1.0
Indeterminate: between 1.0 - 5.0
Reactive: more than 5.0
Lot 08559LI00 Validity march 2012
In case of suspicion of HIV infection, a new sample should be collected 30 days after the date of sample collection.
According to the informations I gave you, could you know if the test I did looks for p24 antigen?
Thank you very much
Greetings,
Thank-you for contacting AIDS Vancouver with your question.
Chemiluminescence HIV Testing is usually short for Chemiluminescence Microparticle Immuno Assay or "CIMA" or 4th Generation Testing, which should look for both antibodies and antigens. That said, the information you provided only discusses antibody testing results and it does not appear that the test you took looked for the P24 antigen.
As shown, HIV antibodies, both strain 1 and strain 2 were screened for. If the CIMA test you took only looked for antibodies, then it was likely a brand of 3rd generation antibody testing. However it may be comforting to know that with the 3rd generation antibody test, up to 95% of infections are detectable within the first 4-6 weeks and most people develop antibodies 21-25 days after exposure if transmission has occurred.
The experience you had with the sex trade worker would not pose an adequate form of transmission for HIV as protected sex is low risk for HIV transmission, regardless of whether or not you had a few scratches at the base of your penis. However, if you are still concerned about your possible acquisition of HIV you could test again after 12 weeks post exposure as results obtained at that point are considered conclusive and final. You may also wish to test for other STIs, as many are much more easily passed from person to person than HIV & could be passed onto you via an uncovered portion of your penis.
Please let us know if you have any other questions or concerns.
In Health,
Calvin
AIDS Vancouver Helpline Volunteer
e: helpline@aidsvancouver.org
p: (Mon-Fri 9-4pm): (604) 696-4666
w: www.aidsvancouver.org/helpline
Comments
Thank you very much for your
Thank you very much for your answer, it has helped to calm my anxiety. From your response I understand that the odds of having caught HIV are low. I will still retest at 12 weeks.
I also tested for Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C, and the results were negative for these diseases. But I don't know if the tests could diagnose these diseases at that time (6 weeks).
The sex with the sex trade worker was an extramarital experience and I don't want to do it again. Although, these last few days I have been really concerned about making love with my woman. We always use condoms, but she insists on performing oral sex with no condom and I don't know what else I can do to avoid it. I'm afraid I can put her at risk of a STI.
Do you think I can relax and move on or should I be cautious and not engage in oral sex with my wife?
Thank you again
Hello again and thanks for using the AIDS Vancouver Helpline.
There are some sexually transmitted infections (STI's) such as chlamydia, gonorrhea, herpes and syphilis that can be passed through oral sex. Some of these STI's may present themselves with symptoms, however not all of the time. Therefore, the only way to know for sure if you are infected with an STI is with a test. Your incident was low risk because of the condom use, and the cuts on the base of your penis are not much of a concern either (because they had started to heal). There is still a chance to become infected with an STI even with the use of a condom (herpes and genital warts, for example can be anywhere in the genital/anal region and can exist in areas not covered by the condom).
If there is a STI clinic near you may choose to talk to them about testing. From the sounds of your experience you are likely in the low risk category for STI transmission however you may choose to get tested for STI's to relieve any anxiety and to know your results for sure. Herpes and genital warts usually result in an outbreak shortly after exposure and an exam of the genitals or a swab is typically how these are diagnosed. After a test or exam, a medical professional should be able to advise you as to whether or not it is safe to have unprotected oral sex with your wife.
If you have any other questions, don’t hesitate to ask!
In Health,
Julia
AIDS Vancouver Helpline Volunteer
e: helpline@aidsvancouver.org
p: (Mon-Fri 9-4pm ): (604) 696-4666
w: www.aidsvancouver.org/helpline
I forgot to tell you that I
I forgot to tell you that I had a PCR test 13 days after the episode and it was negative. I also forgot to tell you that one day before I got the negative PCR results I had another extramarital experience, by fingering a woman. I realized later that I had a little scratch in my finger, but it never bleed. So the antibody test and other STI tests I did were 6 week tests for the first risk situation and 4 weeks tests for the second. Is it true that nobody was infected by fingering? Thanks a lot. I'm sorry for posting so many questions. This will be the last. Thanks again
Hello again!
Fingering, even with a little scratch on your finger is a negligible risk activity for HIV transmission. Negligible risk means that while in theory it makes sense for HIV to be transmitted this way, there have been no documented cases of it happening. For HIV to be passed there must be a fluid (so in this case, vaginal fluids) + the activity (fingering) + direct access to the blood stream. Fingering does not provide direct access to the blood stream, unless there is a fresh, bleeding cut on the finger that is being inserted into the vagina. It is very unlikely that scratches that are a few days, hours or even minutes old could provide direct access to the blood stream and thus, fingering is considered negligible risk- a risk in theory but not one that we have ever seen happen in real life. Therefore, this incident should not change your negative HIV test result.
In Health,
Julia
AIDS Vancouver Helpline Volunteer
e: helpline@aidsvancouver.org
p: (Mon-Fri 9-4pm ): (604) 696-4666
w: www.aidsvancouver.org/helpline
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