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There is considerable interest in perfecting a one-step combination antigen/antibody HIV test that can efficiently identify individuals with acute HIV infection, but devising such a test has proven challenging, particularly for point of care. Only one combination test is currently available in the U.S. (the Architect HIV Ag/Ab Combo assay), and its performance in detecting acute infections is still being evaluated (JW AIDS Clin Care Oct 3 2011).
In the present study, researchers field-tested a combination rapid test available outside the U.S. — the Determine HIV-1/2 Ag/Ab Combo rapid test, which consists of a well-validated antibody component coupled with a new antigen component intended to identify circulating free p24 antigen. The test was…