Suitability of a rapid immunochromatographic test for detection of antibodies to human immunodeficiency virus in Ghana, West Africa
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Date
2001
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Abstract
In West African countries such as Ghana, efficient human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) testing is a priority in the fight against AIDS. A new immunochromatographic rapid test, Determine HIV-1/2 (Abbott Diagnostics, North Chicago, Ill.), that detects antibodies against HIV type 1 (HIV-1) and/or HIV-2 was evaluated using Ghanaian blood samples. Two hundred four serum and/or plasma specimens were tested. HIV screening was done by a particle agglutination test and confirmed by a Western blot (WB) test as the "gold standard." The results revealed 125 HIV-seropositive AIDS patients, 75 HIV-seronegative healthy individuals, and 4 individuals for whom the HIV-1 result was indeterminate. The results obtained by the Determine HIV-1/2 assay and Diagnostic HIV SPOT (Genelabs), which is currently widely used in many districts in Ghana, were compared with those of the WB test, excluding the four HIV-1-indeterminate samples. The sensitivity of the Determine HIV-1/2 assay was 100%, compared with 98.0% for the HIV SPOT assay. The specificity was 100% for both tests. Determine HIV-1/2 is a single-step assay and was found to be rapid and easy to perform without any special equipment. It was highly sensitive and specific. The kit can be applied without electricity and water supplies, making it suitable for the detection of HIV antibodies especially in the rural areas of Ghana, West Africa.
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EMTREE drug terms: Human immunodeficiency virus antibody, EMTREE medical terms: agglutination test; antibody detection; article; controlled study; diagnostic accuracy; Ghana; human; Human immunodeficiency virus 1; Human immunodeficiency virus 2; Human immunodeficiency virus infection; immunochromatography; major clinical study; plasma; priority journal; rapid immunochromatographic test; reliability; screening test; serum, MeSH: AIDS Serodiagnosis; Chromatography; Ghana; HIV Antibodies; HIV Infections; HIV-1; HIV-2; Humans; Immunoblotting; Sensitivity and Specificity, Species Index: Human immunodeficiency virus; Human immunodeficiency virus 1; Human immunodeficiency virus 2; RNA viruses
Citation
Aidoo, S., Ampofo, W. K., Brandful, J. A. M., Nuvor, S. V., Ansah, J. K., Nii-Trebi, N., . . . Ishikawa, K. (2001). Suitability of a rapid immunochromatographic test for detection of antibodies to human immunodeficiency virus in Ghana, West Africa. Journal of Clinical Microbiology, 39(7), 2572-2575.