Scarleteen

I've never really heard of the 'Tri Dot' test for HIV testing, only ELISA and Western Blot- so I'm just curious about this. My partner recently got tested for STDs. He had an exposure a long time ago, about 1.5-2 years or so. He tested for VDRL, Herpes Simplex, and HIV antibodies. All of them came back negative (non-reactive). He got tested at a proper laboratory and had asked the lab for an ELISA too, but they said that since the Tri Dot was negative and it was very long since the exposure, he didn't really even need an ELISA or Western Blot. So, can anybody tell me more about the accuracy and sensitivity of the Tri Dot test?

The studies on this comparison between tests generally show this kind of result (this quote is from this study, specifically): "The sensitivity and specificity of the TRI-DOT test were 99.48% and 99.99%, respectively, compared with the fourth-generation ELISA."

In a word, this test is one we can say has the same level of effectiveness as other tests, with a margin of difference so incredibly slim, there's really no sense in seeing them as different.

I would encourage you, btw, not to try and backseat drive here. Sexual healthcare professionals who do STI testing make educated choices about what tests they use, and about who needs what tests when. So, what I'd suggest you try and do instead is trust that those people know how to do their jobs, and many have a level of education with this that you're just not going to have as someone whose education and work this isn't.

If you are continuing to have issues with anxiety and fears around all of this, your time and energy is likely best used getting mental healthcare to help you learn to manage those issues.

Oh, thanks for that link! And no, we weren't anxious or worried about it. Its just that we usually hear only about the standard tests, so we were just wondering if the type of test you ask for makes any difference. Also, the lab that he went to often outsources (I dont know if that's the right term?) it's samples to another larger lab in the town, so HIV and Herpes were done at their place itself, while VDRL and CBC were sent to the larger lab, so we just got confused.

Thank You!