HIV phobia (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome Phobia), commonly known as AIDS phobia, is a psychological disorder characterized by intense fear of AIDS accompanied by anxiety, depression, obsessive-compulsive tendencies, hypochondria, and other psychological symptoms and behavioral abnormalities. Patients suspect they have contracted HIV or exhibit extreme fear of infection along with obsessive-compulsive behaviors like excessive cleanliness. So, how is AIDS phobia diagnosed?
(1) Antibody Testing
Primary methods include the Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) and Immunofluorescence Assay (IFA). ELISA uses HIV lysates or infected cell extracts treated with detergents as antigens. IFA employs infected cell smears as antigens for antibody detection. Positive samples should be retested. To prevent false positives, Western Blot (WB) testing may be performed for further confirmation.
Rapid testing, also known as the gold standard method, is another form of antibody detection. Based on the principle of immunochromatography, it is used for qualitative detection of HIV antibodies.(II) Antigen Detection
ELISA detects P24 antigen, which is present in blood during early HIV infection before antibodies develop. Due to low P24 levels, positive rates are typically low. Current methods employ dissociation of immune complexes or P24 antigen concentration to enhance sensitivity.
(3) Nucleic Acid Detection
PCR detection of HIV genetic material offers advantages including speed, efficiency, sensitivity, and specificity. This method is currently applied in early HIV diagnosis and AIDS research.
(4) Virus Isolation
The common method is co-culture: isolating mononuclear cells from healthy peripheral blood, stimulating them with PHA, culturing them, and then adding the patient's mononuclear cells for diagnosis.