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October 15, 2005
What the heck are oral fluids?
Allan Schiffman has a different theory about what home HIV tests are for:All that misses the point. The unmet need that a fast "oral fluid" HIV antibody test satisfies is screening prospective sex partners. Here, handsome -- let me take your glass to the kitchen to freshen-up your drink.
Good idea, but I doubt you could do it surreptitiously, since it's not a saliva test:
No. The test uses oral fluid, which is slightly different from saliva. To perform the test, the person being tested for HIV gently swabs the device completely around the outer gums, both upper and lower, one time around and inserts it into a vial containing a developer solution. After 20 minutes, the test device will indicate if HIV antibodies are present in the solution by displaying two reddish-purple lines in a small window in the device.
Of course, you could still slip some roofies in your prospective partner's drink and then take a sample at your leisure....
Posted by ekr at October 15, 2005 8:09 AM | Filed under:
Comments
Yeah, I read the swabbing protocol for the test. But #1, how much you wanna bet the test works to an interesting extent with random saliva smears and #2, partner screening doesn't have to be surreptitious, just reasonably spontaneous.
Posted by: Allan Schiffman at October 15, 2005 11:54 AM