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Journal of Clinical Microbiology, July 2001, p. 2572-2575, Vol. 39, No. 7
0095-1137/01/$04.00+0   DOI: 10.1128/JCM.39.7.2572-2575.2001
Copyright © 2001, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.

Suitability of a Rapid Immunochromatographic Test for Detection of Antibodies to Human Immunodeficiency Virus in Ghana, West Africa

S. Aidoo,1 W. K. Ampofo,1 J. A. M. Brandful,1 S. V. Nuvor,1 J. K. Ansah,2 N. Nii-Trebi,1 J. S. Barnor,1 F. Apeagyei,3 T. Sata,4 D. Ofori-Adjei,1 and K. Ishikawa1,4,*

Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana,1 National Blood Transfusion Service, Ministry of Health, Korle-Bu,2 and Hygiene Wing, Military Hospital,3 Accra, Ghana, and National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo, Japan4

Received 20 November 2000/Returned for modification 4 January 2001/Accepted 19 April 2001

In West African countries such as Ghana, efficient human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) testing is a priority in the fight against AIDS. A new immunochromatographic rapid test, Determine HIV-1/2 (Abbott Diagnostics, North Chicago, Ill.), that detects antibodies against HIV type 1 (HIV-1) and/or HIV-2 was evaluated using Ghanaian blood samples. Two hundred four serum and/or plasma specimens were tested. HIV screening was done by a particle agglutination test and confirmed by a Western blot (WB) test as the "gold standard." The results revealed 125 HIV-seropositive AIDS patients, 75 HIV-seronegative healthy individuals, and 4 individuals for whom the HIV-1 result was indeterminate. The results obtained by the Determine HIV-1/2 assay and Diagnostic HIV SPOT (Genelabs), which is currently widely used in many districts in Ghana, were compared with those of the WB test, excluding the four HIV-1-indeterminate samples. The sensitivity of the Determine HIV-1/2 assay was 100%, compared with 98.0% for the HIV SPOT assay. The specificity was 100% for both tests. Determine HIV-1/2 is a single-step assay and was found to be rapid and easy to perform without any special equipment. It was highly sensitive and specific. The kit can be applied without electricity and water supplies, making it suitable for the detection of HIV antibodies especially in the rural areas of Ghana, West Africa.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, Virology Unit, University of Ghana, P.O. Box LG. 581, Legon, Accra, Ghana. Phone: 233-21-501178/9. Fax: 233-21-502182. E-mail: kishikaw{at}nih.go.jp.

Journal of Clinical Microbiology, July 2001, p. 2572-2575, Vol. 39, No. 7
0095-1137/01/$04.00+0   DOI: 10.1128/JCM.39.7.2572-2575.2001
Copyright © 2001, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.


This article has been cited by other articles:

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  • Ribeiro-Rodrigues, R., Ferreira da Silva Pinto Neto, L., Cunha, C. B., Cabral, V. P., Dietze, R. (2003). Performance Characteristics of a Rapid New Immunochromatographic Test for Detection of Antibodies to Human Immunodeficiency Virus. CVI 10: 303-307 [Abstract] [Full Text]  


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