A patient has serum tested for HIV antibodies by ELISA,and the test is positive.The patient's serum is retested in duplicate with two more positive results.What should be done next?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The positive ELISA test results must be confirmed by a Western blot assay, which is a more specific test for detecting HIV antibodies. This will help to rule out potential false positive results and accurately diagnose the patient's status. Testing for hepatitis C virus antibodies may be indicated depending on the patient's risk factors, but it is not necessary for confirming or ruling out HIV infection. The fact that the patient had two more positive results in duplicate suggests that the initial result was not a false positive, and further testing is needed to confirm the diagnosis. The patient may or may not have acute HIV infection, and this cannot be determined based solely on the ELISA results. Similarly, the ELISA results do not provide information about whether the patient currently has HIV or had it in the past, so answer D is incorrect.

A Patient Has Serum Tested for HIV Antibodies by ELISA,and