HIV-1 PCR (Repeat)

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I had HIV Testing done through STDWeB. I just wanted to let you know how much I appreciated Your service.

Thank you so much...

-Client in Chicago, IL

HIV-1 PCR (Repeat)

$219.00

HIV- RNA and HIV DNA PCR tests are different in the number of viral particles they are able to detect, the HIV DNA PCR sensitivity being slightly more sensitive according to the different methodologies used.
This test detects acute infection prior to seroconversion. The PCR tests is approved by the FDA only for people with established AIDS and taking medications but has become popular also as a diagnostic tool. Because of this FDA specification we always associate a free HIV ELISA antibodies.
Earlier diagnosis leads to earlier referral for appropriate care and preservation of health.
If the test is negative the person is almost 100% sure to be negative for the presence of HIV1 viruses.
HIV - PCR stands for HIV- Polymerase Chain Reaction and is also known as Viral Load testing because it looks for the presence of the Immuno Deficiency Virus in your blood. Contrary to the HIV-Elisa Antibodies test the HIV-PCR is the direct measurement of the amount of HIV particles present in the blood. The Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) technology amplifies even the smallest amount of Virus particle millions of time, and since this test identifies and measures the genetic material (rDNA) resulting from the virus infection, is also known as Nucleic Acid test.

Watch video of inventor of PCR methodology

Credits: Ladda Productions AB (webcasting)

Recent study has shown that this test is able to detect the presence of HIV virus 6 to 42 days prior to a positive HIV-ELISA antibodies test and is conclusive 28 days from exposure.

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In order to see the video you need RealPlayer.

Although the majority of people are symptomatic with an illness resembling infectious mononucleosis or influenza and a large percentage of these patients present for care at health care facilities with "acute retroviral syndrome" (ARS), some people have no clinical symptoms.
The HIV PCR sensitivity limit per individual sample is approximately 50-2000 copies/mL according to the different methodologies used.
The PCR tests is approved by the FDA only for people with AIDS and taking medications but has become popular also as a diagnostic tool. That is the reason why we associate a free HIV ELISA antibodies with his test to be taken 4 months after the PCR test.
The test may be falsely negative in people with HIV if the infection is so recent (less than 28 days old) that virus has not yet begun to produce detectable quantities of itself, or if a person is controlling the infection spontaneously or using the newly potent anti-retroviral medications and has brought the infection under control.
Evidence shows that keeping the viral load levels as low as possible for as long as possible decreases the complications of HIV disease and prolongs life.
Public health guidelines state that treatment should be considered for asymptomatic HIV-infected people who have viral loads higher than 30,000 copies per milliliter of blood using a test known as a branched DNA test, or more than 55,000 copies using an RT-PCR test which is the test we use (Amplicor).
Measurement of plasma HIV-1 RNA levels (virus load) can be used to monitor the course of disease and the response to antiretroviral therapy in patients with HIV-1-infection.
What follows is a table with assays based on the different methods that have been developed for quantifying plasma HIV-1 RNA.

These include

Methodology	Name	Manufacturer
Reverse transcription followed by polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR)	Amplicor HIV-1 Monitor (the one we use)	Roche Diagnostic Systems
Nucleic acid sequence-based amplification NASBA;	HIV-1 RNA QT	Organon-Teknika
Nucleic acid hybridization and branched DNA (bDNA) signal amplification	Quantiplex HIV-1 RNA	Bayer Nucleic Acid Diagnostics.
DNA hybridization and colorimetric detection not widely available at this time.	Digene Assay	Digene Diagnostics

Amplicor HIV-1 Monitor	In PCR-based assays, HIV RNA is converted into DNA by reverse transcription followed by PCR amplification of the DNA. The PCR product is detected by hybridization with an enzyme-conjugated probe specific for HIV-1, and quantified by reacting bound probe with a substrate that undergoes a color change, as in an ELISA. At present the Roche Amplicor HIV-1 Monitor (RT-PCR) assay is the only one approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and is the most widely used in clinical practice.
Quantiplex HIV-1 RNA	The branched DNA assay uses non-enzymatic means to amplify the signal from HIV RNA. In this assay, viral RNA is "captured" by hybridization to complementary oligonucleotides that are bound to the wells of a microtiter plate. The captured viral RNA target is then hybridized to branched oligonucleotides (hence the name "branched" DNA assay), which in turn are hybridized to enzyme-conjugated oligonucleotides that can be quantified as above.
HIV-1 RNA QT	The NASBA assay is similar in concept to the RT-PCR assay except that reactions occur at one temperature.

Results of the three commercially available quantitative HIV-1 RNA assays are highly correlated but not interchangeable so it is important that the same method be used each time.

All three assays have a lower limit of quantification of approximately 50-80 copies/mL
Although the lower limit of the standard Amplicor HIV-1 Monitor assay is 400 copies/mL, the range of the assay can be extended, a modification commonly referred to as the "ultrasensitive" HIV-1 Monitor assay.
These assays are much less precise at plasma HIV-1 RNA titers below 200 copies/mL
Although most strains of HIV-1 that circulate in North America belong to subtype B, more than 10 different subtypes are found around the world. The HIV-1 Monitor 1.0 (RT-PCR) assay is significantly less sensitive for detecting HIV-1 from subtypes A, E, and F as compared to the Quantiplex version 3.0 (bDNA) assay.
Plasma HIV-1 RNA levels that appear to be lower than expected in a patient with advanced disease can be a clue to infection with a non-subtype B strain. Incorporation of alternative primer sets in the new version of the HIV-1 Monitor assay (version 1.5) has improved the ability of this assay to diverse HIV-1 subtypes.

HIV-1 PCR (Repeat)

$219.00