what blood test detects hiv
NATs detect HIV the fastest by looking for HIV in the blood. It can take 7 to 28 days for NATs to detect HIV. This test is very expensive and is not routinely used for HIV screening unless the person recently had a high-risk exposure or a possible exposure with early symptoms of HIV infection.
Rapid antibody/antigen combination test â detects antibodies to HIV in addition to fragments of the virus called the p24 antigen. The p24 antigen can be detected in the body earlier than antibodies. RNA tests â show a positive result based on the presence of the virus.