Screening for Acute HIV Infection — An Evolving Strategy

As enzyme immunoassays for HIV antibody detection improve, the role of pooled RNA testing becomes questionable.

Testing pooled HIV antibody–negative blood samples for viral RNA has been shown to increase detection of acute HIV infection (AHI) at high-volume screening sites. However, a recent report from Baltimore suggests that the value of pooled RNA testing may need to be reconsidered as screening technology improves.

Pooled HIV RNA testing was performed on all antibody-negative samples from two busy sexually transmitted disease (STD) clinics in Baltimore between June 2006 and March 2008. In mid-2007, this approach was also applied to antibody-negative samples obtained from adolescent and family-planning clinics, drug-abuse treatment programs, and a needle-exchange van. All clinics used a third-generation enzyme immunoassay (EIA) as the initial scree…

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

Screening for Acute HIV Infection — An Evolving Strategy

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Reviewing Author