How is HIV diagnosed?

How is HIV diagnosed?

Charles Farthing (Chief of Medicine, AIDS Healthcare Foundation) gives expert video advice on: What are the symptoms of HIV?; Where can I be tested for HIV?; Is there a home test kit for HIV? and more...

HIV is diagnosed usually with the HIV antibody test which can be a blood test but can also be done on saliva and urine to look for the presence of human antibody proteins that the body makes in response to the HIV infection. And so you detect the HIV antibody in the test and then you diagnose HIV infection from that.