Abstract
Recent studies have shown that rapid, instrument-free assays for the detection of antibody to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) can be as sensitive and specific as enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for screening of donated blood in developing countries. Currently, however, specimens which test positive on a screening assay must still be confirmed by Western blot (immunoblot), a method which is not feasible in most developing-country laboratories. We examined whether a testing hierarchy which utilizes neither conventional ELISA nor Western blot can be reliably used for screening and confirmation of HIV infection in a high-risk population. In a retrospective analysis of 3,878 specimens which were screened for antibody to HIV in Kinshasa, Zaire, we observed that a testing hierarchy consisting of duplicate HIVCHEK screening assays followed by duplicate Serodia-HIV confirmatory assays resulted in correct confirmation of all ELISA- and Western blot-positive specimens. We conclude that such a testing hierarchy can produce highly accurate results for identification of positive specimens in routine HIV testing and provides a practical alternative to conventional methods of HIV screening and confirmation.
Full text
PDF
Selected References
These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.
- Carlson J. R., Mertens S. C., Yee J. L., Gardner M. B., Watson-Williams E. J., Ghrayeb J., Jennings M. B., Biggar R. J. Rapid, easy, and economical screening test for antibodies to human immunodeficiency virus. Lancet. 1987 Feb 14;1(8529):361–362. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(87)91730-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Greenberg A. E., Nguyen-Dinh P., Mann J. M., Kabote N., Colebunders R. L., Francis H., Quinn T. C., Baudoux P., Lyamba B., Davachi F. The association between malaria, blood transfusions, and HIV seropositivity in a pediatric population in Kinshasa, Zaire. JAMA. 1988 Jan 22;259(4):545–549. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Quinn T. C., Mann J. M., Curran J. W., Piot P. AIDS in Africa: an epidemiologic paradigm. Science. 1986 Nov 21;234(4779):955–963. doi: 10.1126/science.3022379. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Quinn T. C., Riggin C. H., Kline R. L., Francis H., Mulanga K., Sension M. G., Fauci A. S. Rapid latex agglutination assay using recombinant envelope polypeptide for the detection of antibody to the HIV. JAMA. 1988 Jul 22;260(4):510–513. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Riggin C. H., Beltz G. A., Hung C. H., Thorn R. M., Marciani D. J. Detection of antibodies to human immunodeficiency virus by latex agglutination with recombinant antigen. J Clin Microbiol. 1987 Sep;25(9):1772–1773. doi: 10.1128/jcm.25.9.1772-1773.1987. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Spielberg F., Kabeya C. M., Ryder R. W., Kifuani N. K., Harris J., Bender T. R., Heyward W. L., Quinn T. C. Field testing and comparative evaluation of rapid, visually read screening assays for antibody to human immunodeficiency virus. Lancet. 1989 Mar 18;1(8638):580–584. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(89)91610-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Van de Perre P., Munyambuga D., Zissis G., Butlzer J. P., Nzaramba D., Clumeck N. Antibody to HTLV-III in blood donors in central Africa. Lancet. 1985 Feb 9;1(8424):336–337. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(85)91104-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Van de Perre P., Nzaramba D., Allen S., Riggin C. H., Sprecher-Goldberger S., Butzler J. P. Comparison of six serological assays for human immunodeficiency virus antibody detection in developing countries. J Clin Microbiol. 1988 Mar;26(3):552–556. doi: 10.1128/jcm.26.3.552-556.1988. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Yoshida T., Matsui T., Kobayashi S., Yamamoto N. Evaluation of passive particle agglutination test for antibody to human immunodeficiency virus. J Clin Microbiol. 1987 Aug;25(8):1433–1437. doi: 10.1128/jcm.25.8.1433-1437.1987. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]