Test Finds Hiv Sooner

U.S. blood banks are beginning to use a new test that shortens the time HIV is not detectable in blood by the standard test.

The test looks for a piece of the virus itself instead of human antibodies, detecting proteins, called p24 antigens, on the surface of HIV. With the antibody test, HIV could go undetected for three months.

The new test reduces the time the virus is “hidden” to as little as 16 days.