Low-cost assays for monitoring HIV infected individuals in resource-limited settings.
Use of a combination of CD4 counts and HIV viral load testing in the management of antiretroviral therapy (ART) provides higher prognostic estimation of the risk of disease progression than does the use of either test alone. The standard methods to monitor HIV infection are flow cytometry based for CD4+ T cell count and molecular assays to quantify plasma viral load of HIV. Commercial assays have been routinely used in developed countries to monitor ART. However, these assays require expensive equipment and reagents, well trained operators, and established laboratory infrastructure. These requirements restrict their use in resource-limited settings where people are most afflicted with the HIV-1 epidemic. With the advent of low-cost and/or low-tech alternatives, the possibility of implementing CD4 count and viral load testing in the management of ART in resource-limited settings is increasing. However, an appropriate validation should have been done before putting them to use for patient testing.
YRG Centre for AIDS Research & Education, Voluntary Health Services, Taramani, Chennai, India. bala@yrgcare.org
Pachamuthu
P
Balakrishnan
Hussain Syed
HS
Iqbal
Saravanan
S
Shanmugham
Janardhanan
J
Mohanakrishnan
Sunil S
SS
Solomon
Kenneth H
KH
Mayer
Suniti
S
Solomon
D018791:CD4 Lymphocyte Count / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D003906:Developing Countries; D018450:Disease Progression; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology; D015497:HIV-1; D006801:Humans; D015166:Monitoring, Immunologic / Q000379:methods*; D011379:Prognosis; D019562:Viral Load / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards