a test that shows if you have been infected with HIV
a blood test to determine whether a person has HIV; usually two or three tests are performed to confirm whether a person has HIV; many different tests are available.
A blood sample is taken from the arm with a sterile disposable needle. Then the blood sample will be examined on the presence of antibodies towards the HIV virus. If this test is done directly after unsafe sex, it has to be repeated three months after the unprotected sexual intercourse, as you can be infected for up to three months without yet having enough antibodies to show up in the blood test. These three months are referred to as the window period.
A blood test for antibodies against HIV.
HIV tests are used to detect the presence of the human immunodeficiency virus in serum, plasma, saliva, or urine. Such tests may detect HIV antibodies, antigens, or RNA. In the United States, a number of HIV test kits have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for diagnosis, prognostic determination, patient monitoring, and screening of blood and tissue donors.http://www.fda.gov/cber/products/testkits.htm List of HIV test kits approved by the U.S.