New! Sign up for our free email newsletter.
Reference Terms
from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

HIV test

HIV tests are used to detect the presence of the human immunodeficiency virus in serum, plasma, saliva, or urine. Such tests may detect HIV antibodies, antigens, or RNA. In the United States, a number of HIV test kits have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for diagnosis, prognostic determination, patient monitoring, and screening of blood and tissue donors.The specific tests used may vary from country to country. As of 2006, the standard HIV tests used in the U.S. are extremely accurate.

Related Stories
 


Health & Medicine News

December 26, 2025

Vitamin C doesn’t just belong in skincare products—it works even better when you eat it. Scientists discovered that vitamin C from food travels through the bloodstream into every layer of the skin, boosting collagen and skin renewal. People who ...
Scientists discovered that common food emulsifiers consumed by mother mice altered their offspring’s gut microbiome from the very first weeks of life. These changes interfered with normal immune system training, leading to long-term inflammation. ...
A new study suggests temporal lobe epilepsy may be linked to early aging of certain brain cells. When researchers removed these aging cells in mice, seizures dropped, memory improved, and some animals avoided epilepsy altogether. The treatment used ...
Tramadol, a popular opioid often seen as a “safer” painkiller, may not live up to its reputation. A large analysis of clinical trials found that while it does reduce chronic pain, the relief is modest—so small that many patients likely ...
A new study suggests that dementia may be driven in part by faulty blood flow in the brain. Researchers found that losing a key lipid causes blood vessels to become overactive, disrupting circulation and starving brain tissue. When the missing ...
Alzheimer’s has long been considered irreversible, but new research challenges that assumption. Scientists discovered that severe drops in the brain’s energy supply help drive the disease—and restoring that balance can reverse damage, even in ...
A four–amino acid peptide called CAQK has shown powerful brain-protective effects in animal models of traumatic brain injury. Delivered through a standard IV, it zeroes in on injured brain tissue, calming inflammation and reducing cell death while ...
Researchers have created tiny metal-based particles that push cancer cells over the edge while leaving healthy cells mostly unharmed. The particles work by increasing internal stress in cancer cells until they trigger their own shutdown process. In ...
Scientists studying thousands of rats discovered that gut bacteria are shaped by both personal genetics and the genetics of social partners. Some genes promote certain microbes that can spread between individuals living together. When researchers ...
Scientists at MIT and Stanford have unveiled a promising new way to help the immune system recognize and attack cancer cells more effectively. Their strategy targets a hidden “off switch” that tumors use to stay invisible to immune ...
A deadly hospital fungus that resists nearly every antifungal drug may have an unexpected weakness. Researchers discovered that Candida auris activates specific genes during infection to hunt for ...
A new imaging technology can distinguish cancerous tissue from healthy cells by detecting ultra-weak light signals. It relies on nanoparticles that bind to tumor markers, making cancerous areas easier to identify. The system is far more sensitive ...

Latest Headlines

updated 12:56 pm ET