The Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) or Enzyme Immunoassay (ELIA) is a screening test that is done in the initial period of HIV. In this method of testing, the person’s serum is tested in order to determine the presence of HIV infection. In the lab, a plate containing active antigens is prepared. The serum to be tested is diluted four hundred times and applied to that plate. The change of the color of the florescence of the enzyme when it reacts with the catalyst and the chemicals that are applied on it denotes if the test is positive or negative.

This is also a method of detecting the presence of antibodies in the body fluid that has been collected and subjected to examination. In this method, some preprocessed protein cells that contain different viruses are segregated and smeared on a gelled slab. In the next stage electricity is passed through them, which leads to the disintegration of different proteins at varying velocity. Now, the disintegrated proteins are collected in a membrane and the person’s serum is applied on the same. If any of the antibodies present in the serum gets attached to HIV protein, the test is found positive.

This is another screening test for HIV. It is recommended that the test must be carried out in accordance to the medical and clinical condition of the person, the medical history and the risk factors that may be associated with each case. It is sometimes difficult to detect the presence of HIV positive infections in the very primary stage. A negative test result may not hint at total absence of HIV infections in an individual at all since the infections are detectable after a span of two to six weeks only. That is why it can never be regarded as fool proof.

This is a method of HIV/AIDS screening that is often carried out in the privacy of home. It comprises of a testing method that has been certified by FDA. This is meant for persons who do not wish to reveal their identity while testing for the same. Therefore, the patient is asked to collect a few drops of blood from the fingers. This sample is then sent to the testing laboratory. The process is followed by over the phone test result and counseling too.

This is a test that gives instant report of HIV or AIDS. The whole process gets completed within twenty minutes. It is a method that is used to screen HIV1 and HIV2. The test is carried on with the help of a chemically treated testing strip. The body fluid of the patient, which can be blood, plasma, serum or sputum, is collected. Then it is mixed with a developing solution and applied to the testing strip to interpret the result.

This is another form of instant testing method where the results are visible in a time span of maximum ten to twelve minutes. This whole process is approved by FDA for testing HIV1. It comprises of a specially designed testing device. Blood sample is collected from the patient and diluted with a developing solution. Then it is put into the device for testing and interpretation.

There is also a method of determination of HIV/AIDS using either blood or urine. A home testing kit is available at leading pharmacies. A few drops of the sample have to be injected into the kit. The indicators in the test kit give the test results by signaling at different indicator each time for a negative or a positive report. The whole process takes just fifteen minutes.