A patient who seeks health care for vague symptoms of fatigue and headaches has HIV testing and is found to have a positive enzyme immunoassay (EIA) for HIV antibodies. In discussing the test results with the patient, the nurse informs the patient that

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After an initial positive EIA test, the EIA is repeated before more specific testing such as the Western blot is done. Viral cultures are not part of HIV testing. Because the nurse does not know how recently the patient was infected, it is not appropriate to predict the time frame for AIDS development. The Western blot tests for HIV antibodies, not for AIDS.

A Patient Who Seeks Health Care for Vague Symptoms of Fatigue