When you contract HIV, a special protein is produced called an antibody. Antibodies work to fight the invaders—the HIV virus—and are only present in the body if you have HIV. Each virus causes the body to produce a specific type of antibody—one that is tailored to fight that virus. If you have HIV antibodies then you have HIV. It can take up to three months for HIV antibodies to appear in the blood. Having an HIV test done before this can produce a false-negative result. For some people, the HIV antibodies do not appear until six months after infection. A follow-up test after six months is recommended just in case. The HIV antigen test can be used earlier than the antibody test but it may not be as accurate. It works by detecting a substance called P24, a protein that is produced by the HIV virus itself. When a germ or virus enters the body, it carries with it an antigen, in this case, protein P24. As HIV “settles in” the body, an abundance of P24 is present and causes the production of antibodies to start. This means that this antigen is present before antibodies and once the antibodies begin to develop, the less likely a positive result can be obtained from an antigen test. It is all about timing, really. A DNA or RNA test can be conducted within a week of suspected infection. This is because it goes so far as to detect the genetic material of HIV. They are usually used in babies born to an HIV positive mother. Babies in this situation do not respond well to the antibody or antigen tests as they will have their mother’s antibodies for quite sometime after birth. The DNA or RNA test, also called a Polymerase Chain Reaction test, can be sure to get results right away. You can go to a testing facility and have these tests done or purchase an at-home HIV detection kit. Either way, you will be doing yourself and those in your life a favor by being responsible and knowing for sure if you have this disease or not.