text: hiv seroconversion? i had a possible exposure to hiv 11 weeks ago this thursday. i had a test at 9 weeks and 3 days which came up negative. obviously i will be having another test at the 12 week mark but just wondered about the following. at 8 weeks i had acute tonsilitis. if this was a sign of hiv infection and seroconversion would this mean that my body would be making antibodies and that the test at 9.5 weeks should have picked it up. in other words can i assume that the tonsilitis was just that and not in fact a symptom of hiv infection. i have read that normally signs of infection appear within 5 weeks of contact. is this true?  also does anyone know the percentage of those who show negative at 9.5 weeks but positive at 12?  am worrying myself stupid here so would be grateful for anyone who can put my mind at rest.  many thanks ok, relax.  i'm going to lay it out for you.  if you had a test at 9 weeks, then i'm fairly confident you are negative.  the average time it takes for someone to develop detectable antibodies on an hiv elisa test is 25 days.  94% of people have detectable antibodies after 56 days of infection.  97% of people have detectable antibodies after 90 days of infection.  the remaining 3% can take up to six months mainly because they have an immune system disorder (leukemia, etc.).  i volunteer at an hiv testing clinic.  i will tell you that everyone i have seen was detectable anywhere from 2 weeks to 8 weeks post exposure.  make sure you are tested via a blood sample rather than oral specimen.  the blood test is slightly more accurate.    you cannot diagnose hiv based on symptoms alone...you will drive yourself crazy.  a test at 9 weeks is a huge indicator that you are almost certainly negative.  sounds like you probably have tonsillitis.  get some antibiotics and you should be fine.  this is a valuable lesson for you.  be careful and always use protection.