HIV/AIDS Diagnostics: HIV antigen/antibody ELISA is a sensitive and specific alternative confirmatory test

AIDSWEEKLY Plus; Monday, September 18, 2006
Staff Medical Writers

"The aim of this study was to evaluate the performance of two antibody enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) [Vironostika Uni-Form II plus O and Enzygnost anti-HIV-1/2 Plus], and two antigen/antibody combination ELISAs [Murex and Vironostika HIV Uni-Form II] for use in an alternative confirmatory HIV diagnostic testing strategy in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

"Altogether, 1380 serum samples were included. All ELISA reactive samples-were tested using the Inno-Lia antibody assay and discrepant samples were tested on the Innotest p24 antigen assay," wrote investigators in the Journal of Virological Methods.

According to S. Aboud and colleagues at Karolinska Institute, "Three hundred and one (21.8%) samples were confirmed HIV-1 antibody positive by Inno-Lia including 27/508 (5.3%) from blood donors, 65/511 (12.7%) from pregnant women and 209/361 (57.9%) from hospital patients.

"The sensitivity at initial testing was 100% (95% CI; 98.8-100%) for all assays except Vironostika Uni-Form II plus O (99.7%; 95% CI; 98.2-99.9%) which showed one false negative sample at initial testing but 100% sensitivity after repeat testing."

Scientists continued, "The final specificity at repeat testing was 100% (95% CI; 99.7-100%) for Enzygnost anti-HIV-1/2 Plus, 99.4% (95% CI; 98.8-99.8%) for each of the antigen/antibody combination ELISAs and 97.9% (95% CI; 96.8-98.6%) for Vironostika plus O ELISA."

"An alternative confirmatory HIV testing strategy based on initial testing on any of the two antigen/antibody assays followed by testing of reactive samples on the Enzygnost anti-HIV-1/2 Plus assay gave 100% specificity (95% CI; 99.7-100%)," concluded the authors.

Aboud and colleagues published their study in the Journal of Virological Methods (Evaluation of HIV antibody and antigen/antibody combination ELISAs for use in an alternative confirmatory HIV testing strategy in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. J Virol Methods. 2006 Aug;135(2):192-6).

For additional information, contact G. Biberfeld, Karolinska Institute, Swedish Institute Infectious Disease Control, Nobels Vag 18, SE-17182 Stockholm, Sweden.

The publisher's contact information for the Journal of Virological Methods is: Elsevier Science BV, PO Box 211, 1000 AE Amsterdam, Netherlands.

Keywords: Stockholm, Sweden, HIV Antigen/Antibody Combination Assay, HIV/AIDS, Diagnostics.

This article was prepared by AIDS Weekly editors from staff and other reports.

Reference

Aboud S, Urassa W, Lyamuya E, et al., “Evaluation of HIV antibody and antigen/antibody combination ELISAs for use in an alternative confirmatory HIV testing strategy in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania”, J Virol Methods. 2006 Aug;135(2):192-6.

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