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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2017 Aug 1.
Published in final edited form as: J Infect. 2016 May 26;73(2):164–172. doi: 10.1016/j.jinf.2016.05.006

Table 3.

Unadjusted and adjusted reagent costs and total laboratory costs by test, and cost per specimen and per HIV-positive specimen in three U.S. State Public Health Laboratories.

Site/Type of Test Test costs per specimen $ (U.S) Total specimens Total tests cost (U.S. $) Labor cost per specimen (U.S. $)¥ Total labor cost (U.S. $)††† Total cost (tests and labor cost) (U.S. $) Total cost of HIV testing algorithm (tests and labor cost) (U.S. $) Total cost per specimen (HIV-1 and HIV-2) (U.S. $) Total positive specimens in HIV testing algorithm Total cost per positive (HIV-1 and HIV-2) (U.S. $)
Cost per test Adjusted cost per test§
Massachusetts State Public Health Laboratory, Boston MA
GS HIV Combo Ag/Ab EIA 2.78 3.44 8438 29025.80†† 3.36 28376.63 57402.44
Multispot HIV-1/HIV-2 Rapid Test 26.78 80.34 262 21049.08 24.44 6403.07 27452.15
APTIMA HIV-1 RNA Qualitative Nucleic Acid Test (NAT) 40.00 54.55 15 818.18 7.52 112.78 930.96
85785.55 10.16 255 336.41

Michigan State Public Health Laboratory, Lansing MI
GS HIV Combo Ag/Ab EIA 3.50 4.46 6411 28609.09†† 1.15 7388.11 35997.20
Multispot HIV-1/HIV-2 Rapid Test 25.70 35.98 170 6116.60 2.99 509.05 6625.65
APTIMA HIV-1 RNA Qualitative Nucleic Acid Test (NAT) 8 720.00 - 0 720.00
43342.85 6.76 165 262.68

Maryland State Public Health Laboratory, Baltimore MD
Architect HIV Ag/Ab Combo 3.00 3.09 38334 118287.77†† 0.55 21223.98 139511.75
GS HIV-1 Western blot 30.33 37.91 1034 39195.06 6.70 6931.42 46126.48
Multispot HIV-1/HIV-2 Rapid Test 23.52 33.60 574 19286.40 2.55 1462.17 20748.57
SIV Western blot Assay (HIV-2 WB) Differential 0 0 1 0 0 0 0
HIV-1/HIV-2 proviral DNA PCR 22.00 1 22.00 74.63 74.48 96.48
LTR real time PCR (HIV-1 NAT) 20.00 51 1020.00 15.90 811.19 1831.19
Real time PCR gag (HIV-1 NAT) 6.00 19 114.00 9.98 189.62 303.62
Real time PCR pol (HIV-1 NAT) 6.00 19 114.00 9.98 189.62 303.62
bDNA (HIV-1 NAT) 72.00 19 1368.00 1.12 21.33 1389.33
210311.04 5.49 1003 209.68
§

Total kit cost plus cost of controls not provided in kit divided by number of tests not used as controls.

¥

The product of labor hours per specimen and labor costs per hour.

In MI PHL, the estimated cost reimbursed to Florida PHL as part of a CDC/Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) NAT demonstration project was $90.

††

The numbers account for specimens that were run in duplicate when the initial test was reactive.

†††

Labor cost per hour was determined by Bureau of Labor Statistics' estimate for the 2013 mean salary (including benefits). Labor hours per test were calculated either by being directly observed at the laboratory or from the estimates from literature.

-All costs are reported in 2013 US dollars