Question

The client is seen in the clinic requesting screening for HIV. Which of the following is a screening test for HIV? A. Viral load B. Viral culture C. ELISA D. CD4/CD8 count

Short answer

A. Viral load B. Viral culture C. ELISA D. CD4/CD8 count Answer: C. ELISA

Step-by-step solution

Understand each test option

Before we can identify the correct answer, we need to understand the characteristics and usage of each given test option: A. Viral load - This test measures the amount of HIV virus in a person's blood. It is mainly used to monitor the progress of the disease or the effectiveness of antiretroviral treatment, but not for screening purposes. B. Viral culture - This test aims to cultivate the virus from a person's blood or other samples. It is not routinely used for screening because it is time-consuming, expensive, and may have lower sensitivity compared to other tests. C. ELISA - This test detects antibodies or antigens in the sample related to HIV infection. It is a widely used initial screening test for HIV due to its high sensitivity and specificity. D. CD4/CD8 count - This test is used to determine the levels of specific immune cells (T-cells) in a person's blood. It is primarily used to evaluate the stage of HIV infection and monitor the immune system health of a person living with HIV, but not specifically used for screening purposes.

Choose the correct screening test for HIV

Now that we have a basic understanding of the different test options, we can choose the correct one for HIV screening. Based on the information provided in step 1, the correct screening test for HIV is the ELISA (Option C), as it is the most commonly used method for initial detection of HIV infection with high sensitivity and specificity.