Comparison of murex single-use diagnostic system with traditional enzyme immunoassay for detection of exposure to human immunodeficiency virus.
Because a retrospective study detected 13 negative Western blots out of 38 single-use diagnostic system (SUDS)-positive cases over a 1-year period, we performed a prospective study to compare the performance of the SUDS test with that of enzyme immunoassay (EIA). Of 888 SUDS-tested sera, 875 (98.4%) were both SUDS and EIA negative and 5 (0.6%) were SUDS, EIA, and Western blot positive. The rate of SUDS-positive samples decreased from 3.16/month in the retrospective study to 1.33/month in the prospective study. The immunoassays had sensitivities and specificities of 100 and 99.7 (SUDS) and 100 and 99.4% (traditional EIA), respectively. In laboratories with experienced personnel, the SUDS test performs as well as the EIA as a screen for infection with the human immunodeficiency virus.
Martin
Christin A
CA
Department of Pathology, Warde Medical Laboratory, The University of Michigan Medical School, 5025 Venture Drive, Ann Arbor, MI 48108, USA.
Keren
David F
DF
D015153:Blotting, Western; D005189:False Positive Reactions; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity