Comparing Rapid HIV Antibody Tests in a Clinical Setting

All six rapid HIV tests included in this evaluation had high sensitivity and specificity, with no significant differences among them.

Seven rapid HIV tests are currently approved by the FDA for clinical use, but little is known about how they compare with one another. A new study, conducted by the CDC and the Los Angeles (LA) County Department of Health, provides some insight.

During a 2-year period, 5789 individuals of unknown HIV status, who were seen at one of two LA health clinics, provided specimens for rapid HIV testing. Each individual's specimens were tested with six of the approved rapid assays (the seventh was not yet available at the time of the study), and the results were compared to those obtained with standard Bio-Rad enzyme immunoassay (EIA) and confirmatory Western blot. A total of 280 individuals (4.8%) were found to be HIV-infected. With the EIA/Western …

Reviewing Author

Charles B. Hicks, MD

Disclosures

Consultant / Advisory boardGilead Sciences; ViiV; Merck

RoyaltiesUpToDate, Inc.

Grant / Research supportNIH; Department of Health and Human Services

Charles B. Hicks, MD

Disclosures

Consultant / Advisory boardGilead Sciences; ViiV; Merck

RoyaltiesUpToDate, Inc.

Grant / Research supportNIH; Department of Health and Human Services

Comparing Rapid HIV Antibody Tests in a Clinical Setting

Topics

Reviewing Author