title: Transfer and evaluation of an automated, low-cost real-time reverse transcription-PCR test for diagnosis and monitoring of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 infection in a West African resource-limited setting.
abstract: There is an urgent need for low-cost human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) viral load (VL) monitoring technologies in resource-limited settings. An automated TaqMan real-time reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR) assay was transferred to the laboratory of the Centre de Diagnostic et de Recherches sur le SIDA, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, and assessed for HIV-1 RNA VL testing in 806 plasma samples collected within four ANRS research programs. The detection threshold and reproducibility of the assay were first determined. The quantitative results obtained with this assay were compared with two commercial HIV-1 RNA kits (the Versant version 3.0 and Monitor version 1.5 assays) in specimens harboring mainly the circulating recombinant form 02 strain (CRF02). The clinical evaluation of this test was done in different situations including the early diagnosis of pediatric infection and the monitoring of antiretroviral-treated patients. The quantification limit of our method was 300 copies/ml. The HIV-1 RNA values obtained by real-time PCR assay were highly correlated with those obtained by the Versant kit (r = 0.901; P < 0.001) and the Monitor test (r = 0.856; P < 0.001) and homogeneously distributed according to HIV-1 genotypes. For the early diagnosis of pediatric HIV-1 infection, the sensitivity and specificity of the real-time PCR assay were both 100% (95% confidence intervals of 93.7 to 100.0 and 98.3 to 100.0, respectively), compared to the Versant results. Following initiation of antiretroviral treatment, the kinetics of HIV-1 RNA levels were very comparable, with a similar proportion of adults and children below the detection limit during follow-up with our technique and the Versant assay. The TaqMan real-time PCR (12 dollars per test) is now routinely used to monitor HIV-1 infection in our laboratory. This technology should be further evaluated in limited-resource countries where strains other than CRF02 are prevalent.
authors.affiliation: Centre de Diagnostic et de Recherches sur le SIDA, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire. rouet@aviso.ci
authors.forename: Francois
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Rouet
authors.forename: Didier K
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Ekouevi
authors.forename: Marie-Laure
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Chaix
authors.forename: Marianne
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Burgard
authors.forename: Andre
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Inwoley
authors.forename: Thomas D'Aquin
authors.initials: TD
authors.lastname: Tony
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Danel
authors.forename: Xavier
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Anglaret
authors.forename: Valeriane
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Leroy
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Msellati
authors.forename: Francois
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Dabis
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rouzioux
mesh_terms: D023241:Antiretroviral Therapy, Highly Active; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D007560:Cote d'Ivoire; D003906:Developing Countries; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000821:virology; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000097:blood*; D011933:Reagent Kits, Diagnostic; D011995:Recombination, Genetic; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000191:economics* / Q000379:methods*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
chemical_list: D012367:RNA, Viral; D011933:Reagent Kits, Diagnostic