Knuchel M.C., Tomasik Z., Speck R.F., Lüthy R., Schüpbach J.
Swiss National Center for Retroviruses, University of Zürich, Gloriastrasse 30 /32, CH-8006 Zürich, Switzerland; Division of Infectious Diseases, Hospital Epidemiology, University Hospital Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland; Swiss AIDS Care International, Harare, Zimbabwe
Knuchel, M.C., Swiss National Center for Retroviruses, University of Zürich, Gloriastrasse 30 /32, CH-8006 Zürich, Switzerland; Tomasik, Z., Swiss National Center for Retroviruses, University of Zürich, Gloriastrasse 30 /32, CH-8006 Zürich, Switzerland; Speck, R.F., Division of Infectious Diseases, Hospital Epidemiology, University Hospital Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland; Lüthy, R., Swiss AIDS Care International, Harare, Zimbabwe; Schüpbach, J., Swiss National Center for Retroviruses, University of Zürich, Gloriastrasse 30 /32, CH-8006 Zürich, Switzerland
Background: Our group has previously developed a quantitative and ultrasensitive HIV-1 p24 antigen assay that is inexpensive, easy-to-perform, and can be carried out in low-resource settings. Since antiretroviral therapies are becoming more accessible in resource-constrained countries, methods to assess HIV-1 viraemia are urgently needed to achieve a high standard of care in HIV-1 management. Objectives: To adapt our quantitative assay to dried plasma spots (DPS), in order to further simplify this test and make it more accessible to resource-constrained countries. Study design: DPS from 47 HIV-seropositive, treated or untreated adult individuals and 30 healthy individuals were examined. Results: A specificity of 100% was observed when p24 antigen was measured using DPS, and no differences of p24 concentration could be seen between DPS and venous plasma. The correlation between DPS and venous plasma p24 was excellent (R = 0.93, CI95% = 0.88-0.96, p < 0.0001). Similarly, p24 antigen concentrations using DPS were well correlated with RNA viral load (R = 0.53, CI95% = 0.27-0.72, p = 0.0002). Conclusions: This quantitative p24 antigen test has similar sensitivity and specificity using DPS and venous plasma, and has the potential to improve health care delivery to HIV-affected individuals in resource-constrained countries. © 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
antigen p24; virus RNA; anti human immunodeficiency virus agent; Gag protein; Human immunodeficiency virus antibody; Human immunodeficiency virus antigen; article; correlation analysis; diagnostic accuracy; enzyme linked immunosorbent assay; Human immunodeficiency virus 1; nonhuman; priority journal; quantitative analysis; virus identification; virus load; adult; blood; case control study; chemistry; child; comparative study; cost; economics; evaluation; heat; human; Human immunodeficiency virus infection; immunology; methodology; protein denaturation; sensitivity and specificity; serodiagnosis; treatment outcome; virology; Adult; AIDS Serodiagnosis; Anti-HIV Agents; Case-Control Studies; Child; Costs and Cost Analysis; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; Evaluation Studies; Heat; HIV Antibodies; HIV Antigens; HIV Core Protein p24; HIV Infections; HIV Seropositivity; HIV-1; Humans; Protein Denaturation; Sensitivity and Specificity; Treatment Outcome; Viral Load