Criteria for AIDS

There are criteria to determine when an infection advances from HIV positive to AIDS.
· Infection with HIV must be present,
· CD4 count falls below 200 cells/mmm3 (cubic milliliter), or
· Development of an "AIDS-defining" condition
o Candidiasis
o Cervical cancer (invasive)
o Coccidioidomycosis, Cryptococcosis, Cryptosporidiosis
o Cytomegalovirus disease
o Encephalopathy (HIV-related)
o Herpes simplex (severe)
o Histoplasmosis
o Isosporiasis
o Kaposi's sarcoma
o Lymphoma
o Mycobacterium avium complex
o Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia
o Pneumonia (recurrent)
o Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy
o Salmonella septicemia (recurrent)
o Toxoplasmosis of the brain
o Tuberculosis
o Wasting syndrome


Routine HIV/AIDS testing
Testing is an essential component of HIV/AIDS diagnosis and treatment. Because people in the early stages of HIV/AIDS may be asymptomatic, they may be putting others at risk. While those with HIV/AIDS need multiple tests to accurately assess their physical condition, some tests are specific to HIV/AIDS:
HIV antibody CD4 t-cell Viral load
· HIV Antibody tests
The period between becoming infected and showing antibodies to HIV in the blood can range from 2 weeks to 6 months. During this period, a person can spread the disease even though the antibodies cannot be detected in the blood. The most common tests in recent years have been ELISA, Western Blot and IFA.
Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).
· Usually the first test used to detect infection with HIV, but can cause false positive results
Western blot.
· More difficult than the ELISA to perform and interpret accurately, but less likely to give a false-positives; used to confirm ELISA results.
Indirect fluorescent antibody (IFA)
· Detects antibodies made to fight an HIV infection; used to confirm ELISA results.
New rapid HIV tests are now on the market, that are quick, easy to do, and allow for point-of-care testing. There are 4 rapid HIV tests that have been approved:
· OraQuick Advance HIV-1/2 - results in 20 minutes
· Uni-Gold Recombigen - results in 10 minutes
· Reveal G2 - results in 5 minutes
· Multispot HIV-1/HIV-2 - results in 15 minutes