title: Diagnosis of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 infection with different subtypes using rapid tests.
abstract: We evaluated six rapid tests for their sensitivity and specificity in diagnosing human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection using 241 specimens (172 HIV-1 positive, 69 HIV-1 negative) representing different HIV-1 subtypes (A [n = 40], B [n = 47], C [n = 28], E [n = 42], and F [n = 7]). HIVCHEK, Multispot, RTD and SeroStrip were 100% sensitive and specific. Capillus failed to identify two of eight subtype C specimens (overall sensitivity of 98. 85%), while the SUDS test (the only test approved by the Food and Drug Administration) gave false-positive results for 5 of 69 seronegative specimens (specificity of 93.24%). Our results suggest that although rapid tests perform well in general, it may be prudent to evaluate a rapid test for sensitivity and specificity in a local population prior to its widespread use.
authors.affiliation: HIV Immunology and Diagnostics Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia 30333, USA.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Phillips
authors.forename: T C
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Granade
authors.forename: C P
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Pau
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Candal
authors.forename: D J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.forename: B S
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Parekh
mesh_terms: D015658:HIV Infections / Q000175:diagnosis*; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006801:Humans; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012698:Serologic Tests