AIDS testing for blood donors?

What kind of tests are done on blood that is donated to be used for transfusions? I read that it takes up to 6 months for antibodies to show up after infection. The western blot is one of the tests used to detect these antibodies. What test is used and if it's to detect the antibodies instead of the antigen then how safe is donar blood? Thanks.

Crystal that's what I mean. The ELISA and western blot both detect the antibodies which may not show up accurately for 6 months after infection. An antigen test is the only test that detects the virus itself.

I used to work in the quarantine lab at a blood donation center. They run tests for HIV type 1 and type 2; Hepatitis B surface antigen and core antibody, Hepatitis C antigen; Hepatitis A antigen; HTLV-1 and HTLV-2; and syphilis. They are starting to test for West Nile, at least they are where I used to work. I don't know exactly what kind of tests they ran (I just quarantined the "positive blood" and packaged the "negative blood" to send to the hospitals), but if I remember correctly, they seemed to run screening tests (probably ELISA's) and if these were positive, they then ran confirmatory tests (like the Western Blot). Although at least where I was we threw out blood that even screened positive, even if the confirmatory test was negative. The list of strict questions you are asked when you donate are an attempt to make up for the fact that there is a "window" in which you have the disease but won't test positive.

If you're having elective surgery and worry about the quality of the blood available, get your family and friends to donate. You can even "bank" some of your own blood in advance.

I don't know what kind of test they use but, in addition to testing my blood when I donate, they first ask me a ton of questions trying to figure out if I engage in risky behavior. I am a volunteer. I don't get a penny for giving the blood. At most, they give me an ugly t-shirt or, if I'm really, really lucky, a movie pass. I can't imagine people who are infected going through all this trouble to donate if they know they're infected. The people I see donate tend to look like responsible citizens trying to help out their fellow man.