What the Tests Do
Most HIV tests don't actually look for the virus itself; they look for the antibodies that indicate HIV is present in the body.
When someone has HIV, the body's immune system makes antibodies to fight the virus. Unlike the antibodies our immune systems make that successfully fight off other infections, the antibodies to HIV cannot stop the virus. But their presence in great numbers is what appears in test results. The antibodies can take anywhere from 3 to 6 months to appear in detectable quantities. So when someone has an HIV test, it may not show an infection that could have occurred in the last 6 months
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