title: Determination of HIV status of infants born to HIV-infected mothers: a review of the diagnostic methods with special focus on the applicability of p24 antigen testing in developing countries.
abstract: In 2009, 2.5 million children under the age of 15 y were living with human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS); 370,000 were diagnosed with HIV and 260,000 died due to AIDS. More than 90% of the children infected with HIV live in sub-Saharan Africa. Most children infected with HIV contract the infection in utero, during delivery, or via breast milk. This review outlines the current diagnostic methods to determine the HIV status of infants born to HIV-infected mothers. The HIV DNA and RNA polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests are highly accurate and are recommended as the first-choice diagnostic methods. However, they are expensive and require complex laboratory procedures. Consequently, a search for less costly and complicated methods has led to the testing of p24 antigen analyses as an alternative to the gold-standard PCR tests, with encouraging results. The p24 antigen Perkin Elmer assay currently most often used has a sensitivity of 98.8% and a specificity of 100% (infants 6 weeks of age). Larger-scale studies should be performed in resource-limited settings to confirm these findings.
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital, Hvidovre, Denmark. wessmanmaria@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Maria J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Wessman
authors.forename: Zahra
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Theilgaard
authors.forename: Terese L
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Katzenstein
mesh_terms: D017954:Africa South of the Sahara; D019411:Clinical Laboratory Techniques / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods*; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000097:blood; D003906:Developing Countries; D016655:HIV Core Protein p24 / Q000097:blood*; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D007118:Immunoassay / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D018445:Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000097:blood; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014773:Virology / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral; D016655:HIV Core Protein p24; D012367:RNA, Viral