![]() Thus for HIV testing strategies employing a serial testing algorithm, the selection of testing technologies as well as the order in which they are employed is crucial for obtaining accurate results. While in parallel testing samples are tested simultaneously by two different tests, in serial testing they are tested by a first test, the results of which determine requirement of any further testing. With regard to HIV testing, two testing algorithms are commonly described: parallel and serial. While some studies have reported the performance of RDTs and ELISA to be comparable, results from others have raised concerns regarding sensitivity and specificity of the rapid assays. However the labour intensive and time consuming format of the assay as well as the requirement of instrumentation and technical expertise has resulted in a shift from an ELISA based approach to rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs), particularly in resource constrained settings. ![]() Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) has been a preferred screening procedure in this regard. In addition to allowing timely initiation of antiretroviral therapy of the HIV infection, early diagnosis also provides an opportunity to limit the spread of HIV from the infected individuals to the naive population.ĭetection of anti-HIV antibodies as a marker of HIV exposure is the most widely used approach for serodiagnosis of this infection. Early and accurate knowledge of HIV serostatus of an individual is the cornerstone of HIV prevention and therapeutic intervention. Our study highlights that RDTs fare poorly compared to ELISA as screening assays and that reactive results by RDTs need to be confirmed by western blot for a positive serodiagnosis of HIV infection.Īpproximately 35.3 million people across the world are infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The sensitivity, specificity, and negative and positive predictive values of the first test were 77.5%, 99.3%, and 98.8% and 86.1%, respectively, taking ELISA as the standard test. The first test missed 9 HIV reactive samples and also registered 5 false positives. Seven hundred and eighty-seven sera, tested at the voluntary counselling and testing facility employing a serial testing algorithm (based on SD Bioline HIV-1/2 3.0 as the first test), were subsequently tested with Microlisa-HIV for anti-HIV antibodies. In the present study the performance of an RDT being used as the initial test in serial testing based algorithm for HIV diagnosis was compared with ELISA. ![]() However, the diagnostic performance of RDTs is a matter of concern. The primary methodology for HIV testing has shifted from enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) in recent years, especially in resource limited settings. Early and accurate diagnosis of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection is essential for timely identification of patients needing antiretroviral therapy and for instituting HIV prevention strategies.
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