This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Copyright Information Books from ASM Press MicrobeWorld Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Ozanne, G Articles by Fauvel, M Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Ozanne, G Articles by Fauvel, M

Performance and reliability of five commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits in screening for anti-human immunodeficiency virus antibody in high-risk subjects.

Laboratoire de sante publique du Quebec, Canada.

ABSTRACT

Anti-human immunodeficiency virus enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits marketed by Electro-Nucleonics Inc. (ENI), Genetic Systems Corp. (GSC), Organon Teknika Inc. (OTI), Ortho Diagnostic Systems Inc. (ODSI), and Wellcome Diagnostics (WD) were evaluated by using 289 randomly selected serum samples from a high-risk population and 53 serum samples likely to produce false-positive results. The radioimmunoprecipitation assay was used as the reference test. Sensitivities ranged from 96.51% (ODSI, WD) to 97.67% (ENI, GSC, OTI). Sera showing antibodies to viral glycoproteins only produced the false-negative results. Specificities ranged from 99.6% (ENI, GSC, ODSI, OTI) to 100% (WD). False-positive results were obtained with sera from patients with autoimmune disease or Epstein-Barr virus infection. Only results from GSC and OTI kits were distributed in two compact clusters well segregated on either side of the cutoff point. ODSI and GSC kits had the best intralot reproducibility. The GSC kit had the best interlot reproducibility. Cutoff values for ODSI and GSC kits were the least variable. Intraplate repeatability was good for all kits. Sample localization was not an important source of variability. Our results do not point out one outstanding kit among the five evaluated. However, the GSC kit showed the best overall results.

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Litvak, E., Siegel, J. E., Pauker, S. G., Lallemant, M., Fineberg, H. V., Weinstein, M. C. (1997). Whose Blood Is Safer?: The Effect of the Stage of the Epidemic on Screening for HIV. Med Decis Making 17: 455-463 [Abstract]