title: Evaluation of the performances of twelve rapid diagnostic tests for diagnosis of HIV infection in Yaounde, Cameroon.
abstract: According to the WHO/UNAIDS recommendations, an acceptable HIV rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) has to perform a sensitivity≥99% and a specificity≥98%. Given the constant release of new RDTs for HIV testing in the market and the high HIV genetic diversity in Cameroon, it is interesting to monitor their performances in that setting. A total of 240 HIV positive (including 219 HIV-1 M, 15 HIV-1 O, 1 HIV-1 N, 1 HIV-1 M/O recombinant and 4 HIV-2) and 240 HIV negative plasma samples were used to evaluate twelve routinely used RDTs in Cameroon. A reference algorithm combining Enzyme Immunoassays and nucleic acid testing was used as gold standard. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of the twelve RDTs evaluated varied between 93.7 and 100%; 95.8 and 100%; 96.0 and 100%, and 94.1 and 100%, respectively. Five out of the twelve RDTs could not detect some HIV-1 O variants, one of them failed to detect an HIV-2 variant while all them efficiently detected HIV-1 N and HIV M/O recombinant. Our findings underscore the need to monitor the performances of RDTs to be used for HIV testing in Cameroon using locally obtained well-characterized samples panels.
authors.affiliation: Centre Pasteur of Cameroon, Member of the International Network of Pasteur Institutes, 451 Rue 2005, P.O. Box 1274, Yaounde II, Yaounde, Cameroon. Electronic address: njouom@pasteur-yaounde.org.
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Njouom
authors.affiliation: Centre Pasteur of Cameroon, Member of the International Network of Pasteur Institutes, 451 Rue 2005, P.O. Box 1274, Yaounde II, Yaounde, Cameroon. Electronic address: ngono.laure@pasteur-yaounde.org.
authors.forename: Laure
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ngono
authors.affiliation: Centre Pasteur of Cameroon, Member of the International Network of Pasteur Institutes, 451 Rue 2005, P.O. Box 1274, Yaounde II, Yaounde, Cameroon. Electronic address: denise_desiree@yahoo.fr.
authors.forename: Desirée Denise
authors.initials: DD
authors.lastname: Mekinda-Gometi
authors.affiliation: Centre Pasteur of Cameroon, Member of the International Network of Pasteur Institutes, 451 Rue 2005, P.O. Box 1274, Yaounde II, Yaounde, Cameroon. Electronic address: cyprienkengne@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Cyprien Kengne
authors.initials: CK
authors.lastname: Ndé
authors.affiliation: Centre Pasteur of Cameroon, Member of the International Network of Pasteur Institutes, 451 Rue 2005, P.O. Box 1274, Yaounde II, Yaounde, Cameroon. Electronic address: sadeuh@pasteur-yaounde.org.
authors.forename: Serge Alain
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Sadeuh-Mba
authors.affiliation: Centre Pasteur of Cameroon, Member of the International Network of Pasteur Institutes, 451 Rue 2005, P.O. Box 1274, Yaounde II, Yaounde, Cameroon. Electronic address: marie.vernet@pasteur-yaounde.org.
authors.forename: Marie-Astrid
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Vernet
authors.affiliation: Centre Pasteur of Cameroon, Member of the International Network of Pasteur Institutes, 451 Rue 2005, P.O. Box 1274, Yaounde II, Yaounde, Cameroon. Electronic address: ttpatty@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Patrice
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Tchendjou
authors.affiliation: Centre Pasteur of Cameroon, Member of the International Network of Pasteur Institutes, 451 Rue 2005, P.O. Box 1274, Yaounde II, Yaounde, Cameroon. Electronic address: vernet@pasteur-yaounde.org.
authors.forename: Guy
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Vernet
mesh_terms: D002163:Cameroon; D003955:Diagnostic Tests, Routine / Q000379:methods*; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods; D010949:Plasma / Q000821:virology; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013997:Time Factors
keywords: HIV; Performance; Rapid diagnosis test; Screening