Status of laboratory testing for HIV

Two years have passed since the CDC finally published guidelines addressing HIV laboratory testing and officially endorsed the “new” HIV laboratory testing algorithm. Although many had become aware of the algorithm in the four years prior, and had adopted it to various degrees, this was the final word on this long-awaited guidance. The algorithm gained visibility prior to the official endorsement mainly because it had been heavily referenced in CDC publications and numerous scientific articles.

View algorithm here

The new algorithm, however, has presented some real challenges for the laboratory. The biggest adjustment to adopting the new algorithm has been replacing the Western blot with an HIV-1/HIV-2 differentiation assay. The only assay with this capability until recently was the Multispot (Bio-Rad). However, the Multispot is no longer available and will be replaced with Bio-Rad’s Geenius. Although the Geenius is also a single use test (FDA-cleared) for confirming reactive HIV screen results and differentiating between HIV-1 and HIV-2 antibodies, it differs from the Multispot in a number of important aspects. The test uses either recombinant or synthetic peptides corresponding to four HIV-1 antigens, gp160, gp41, p31 and p24, and two corresponding to HIV-2 antigens, gp140 and gp36. There are eight possible interpretations based on the pattern observed. Performance characteristics are comparable to Multispot. Sensitivity is 100 percent for both assays, and specificity values are 99.1 percent and 96.3 percent for the Multispot and Geenius, respectively. The results can be read within 30 minutes and are interpreted using an automated cassette reader, therefore eliminating inter-observer subjectivity. The cassette system also allows for placement of a bar code label on each specimen, improving sample tracking. Additionally, because software is necessary for interpretation, the results are digitally captured, automatically recorded, and stored.

Read more:
The status of laboratory testing for the diagnosis of HIV infection


Source: MLO