Willis-Knighton Community Reference Laboratory now offers 5th generation HIV testing and is the first lab in the Shreveport-Bossier area performing the multiplexed screening test.
The BioPlex 2200 HIV Ag-Ab kit, by Bio-Rad Laboratories, offers early detection of HIV by looking for specific HIV antibodies that are produced shortly after infection. In addition to early detection offered by previous tests, the 5th generation test provides more information specifically identifying which HIV marker is positive, thereby indicating if a patient has been recently infected.
The 5th generation test reduces the detection window period – the time between potential exposure and an accurate test result – to 10 to 14 days, leading to faster treatment as well as ability to control the spread of the disease, says April Johnson, director of Willis-Knighton Community Reference Laboratory.
Johnson says during the first six months after a person becomes infected, virus levels are higher and the risk of transmission is greater.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1.1 million people in the United States are living with HIV and 1 in 7 don’t know it. Linking people to care within three months after HIV diagnosis improves their health and reduces the risk of transmission.