title: Diagnosis of HIV infection and laboratory monitoring of its therapy.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Serological diagnosis of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection became available in 1985, with the rapid increase in sensitivity and specificity of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) and the supplement tests. Molecular tests for detection of HIV in the diagnosis of HIV infection in special settings and monitoring of HIV-1 infection followed this.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  In this review it is intended to give a brief overview of the diagnosis and monitoring of HIV infection.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Serological methods and molecular methods for the detection and quantitation of HIV are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Istanbul University, Istanbul Faculty of Medicine, Department of Microbiology and Clinical Microbiology, Division of Virology and Immunology, Istanbul, Turkey. guldenyilmaz@superonline.com
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Yilmaz
mesh_terms: D019411:Clinical Laboratory Techniques; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy / Q000821:virology; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000502:physiology; D015498:HIV-2 / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D014779:Virus Replication