Evaluation of three enzyme immunoassays for HIV-1 antigen detection.
Three enzyme immunoassay (EIA) methods for the detection of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) were evaluated. Serum or plasma samples from 22 individuals seropositive for HIV-1 antibodies were tested with the Abbott, Coulter, and DuPont kits for presence of HIV-1 p24 antigen. Another 12 samples were tested with two kits only. Discordant results were obtained with 9 of 34 (26%) HIV-1-antibody-positive patient samples tested. Most of these discrepancies were found in samples containing less than 30 pg/ml of HIV-1 p24 core antigen. A sampling of sera from normal blood donors and patients with infectious or autoimmune diseases revealed a low level of false positive reactions, especially with sera containing antinuclear antibodies or rheumatoid factor. Noteworthy is the frequency of false positive reactions seen with the DuPont EIA for HIV-1 p24 antigen. 18/111 sera (16.2%) containing auto-antibodies tested positively with the DuPont HIV-1 p24 antigen EIA. The nonspecific nature of the test reactivity for 9/10 of these samples was confirmed using an HIV-1 p24 antigen inhibition assay. These findings are discussed in light of the need for HIV-1 antigen detection in the clinical laboratory and of other methods for HIV-1 detection: the polymerase chain reaction and measurements of reverse transcriptase activity.
Willoughby
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PB
Clinical Microbiology-Immunology Laboratories, North Carolina Memorial Hospital, Chapel Hill, NC 27514.
Lisker
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Folds
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D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005188:False Negative Reactions; D005189:False Positive Reactions; D015683:Gene Products, gag / Q000302:isolation & purification; D015488:HIV Antigens / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D016655:HIV Core Protein p24; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D014758:Viral Core Proteins / Q000302:isolation & purification
D015683:Gene Products, gag; D015488:HIV Antigens; D016655:HIV Core Protein p24; D014758:Viral Core Proteins