Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1996. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Use of pooling and outpatient laboratory specimens in an anonymous seroprevalence survey of HIV infection in British Columbia, Canada.
AIDS. 1995 Aug;9(8):945-50. Unique Identifier : AIDSLINE MED/96014970 Sherlock CH; Strathdee SA; Le T; Sutherland D; O'Shaughnessy MV; Schechter MT; Department of Pathology, University of British Columbia,; Vancouver, Canada.
Abstract:
OBJECTIVE: To conduct an anonymous HIV seroprevalence survey to establish a baseline estimate of HIV seroprevalence in a general population; to evaluate serum pooling and alternative testing strategies as cost-saving measures. DESIGN: Prospective anonymous HIV seroprevalence study using outpatient laboratory specimens. SETTING: Two large non-hospital-associated outpatient chemistry testing laboratories in the major population centers in British Columbia, Canada. PATIENTS AND SERA: Leftover sera received for chemistry screen testing in outpatient laboratories were provided to the study after chemistry testing was completed. Those from patients aged < 15 and > or = 55 years were excluded. METHODS: Patient identifiers were erased from samples. Sera were pooled 10:1 and tested by viral lysate enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Sera from HIV-positive pools were tested individually. All individual HIV-positive specimens were retested for verification of positivity using a recombinant protein ELISA. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: HIV seroprevalence rates were stratified by sex, age group, and geographic area; and costs of pooling and alternative algorithm strategy were compared with those of conventional methods. RESULTS: A total of 80,238 sera were collected from 66,658 individuals (53% women, 47% men). Of these, 276 men (88.3 per 10,000) and 24 women (6.8 per 10,000) were HIV-seropositive. The highest rates were in those aged 30-34 years, for both men and women. Using pooling and non-Western blot verification saved US$2.07 per specimen, or 80% of the cost for conventional testing. CONCLUSIONS: The anonymous outpatient laboratory setting is practicable to obtain a reasonable estimate of HIV seroprevalence rates in a general population. Such studies can be made cost-effective by pooling sera and using alternative confirmatory strategies.
Keywords: Adolescence Adult AIDS Serodiagnosis/ECONOMICS British Columbia/EPIDEMIOLOGY Costs and Cost Analysis Female Human *HIV Seroprevalence Laboratories Male Middle Age Outpatients Prospective Studies Support, Non-U.S. Gov't JOURNAL ARTICLE 960228
M9621059
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Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1996. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
