HIV PCR -- screening "window"

[Peter Kramer]

I was reading a recent article (sorry I forgot the reference) about the
advantages of including PCR screening of donated blood for HIV-1.  Since
PCR does not depend upon an immunological response the long seroconvesion
time (or "window," the time between infection and seropositive detection)
for ELIZA screening can be substantially diminished.

Can anyone tell me what are some of the "window" times for PCR screening
of donated blood.  I'm not too familiar with virology as I'm an enzyme
chemist but I do realize that there are several different PCR techniques
discussed in the literature.

Thanks.

Peter Kramer 

pkramer at connix.com