It is true that most hiv tests involve looking for HIV antibodies. But what are these antibodies and how do they differ from other antibodies from other viruses/diseaes? If someone was under a lot of stress or had a fever, whether high or low, the body would be producing many antibodies. Couldn't this affect the tests? How do the "experts" really know whether these antibodies are HIV antibodies?

While I know that the antibodies that are developed with regard to HIV are different from others, I really can't explain that difference here. But I'm not really sure that a question in epidemiology or microbiology is what you're asking here.

Stress, elevated white blood cell counts, dysfunctional lymph systems or spleens, and elevated body temperature all impact the t-cell count and viral load dimensions of the test. It does not affect the fact one is or is not HIV+. In other words, an elevated body temp does not produce HIV antibodies although it could affect the basic t-cell numbers. THis is why, because t-cells are only one paradigm for measure the amount of HIV in the system, that t-cell counts fluctuate.

How do the expert know these are HIV antibodies? In the same manner that epidemiologist know the difference between types of cancer cells, or the difference between multiple sclerosis and polio. Oh, also, because they are the experts and their lives are devoted to understanding this disease and reseaching the manner in which it manifests itself. chris