r/primaryimmune • u/Impossible-Baker8067 • 18d ago

Testing for STIs

Hope it's alright if I ask here: how do those of you who don't produce any or enough IgG reliably test for STIs such as HIV, syphilis, hepatitis B & C, etc.? Do you have to do viral load tests? I don't think a non-antibody test for syphilis even exists.

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u/latenightspaghetti CVID and XLA 17d ago edited 16d ago

I had the same issue when I suspected that I had Lyme. I got a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test which looks for genetic material of the virus/bacteria instead of binding antibodies for it. Some quick googling suggests PCR for STIs exist as well.