Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1989. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
The Associated Press - Saturday, September 16, 1989
The test, now undergoing trials at nine centers, will enable people worried about AIDS virus exposure to be tested within minutes at their doctor's office, instead of having to wait to hear from a laboratory.
"It provides a new means for patients to learn of their AIDS status and still retain anonymity," said Jarel R. Kelsey, president of Murex Corp., a Norcross, Ga., firm that developed the test. Although the new test is very simple to conduct, Kelsey said it will not be sold for home use.
At present, a test for the AIDS virus requires that blood be drawn and sent to a laboratory. Patients must wait in suspense to find out if they have contracted the human immunodeficiency virus, or HIV, that causes acquired immune deficiency syndrome, or AIDS.
The new test is called SUDS, for single use diagnostic system. It consists of a small plastic disk that is filled with an absorbent material. A SUDS test starts with a blood sample obtained by pricking a finger. Two drops of serum, the clear fluid in blood, are separated from the sample, then combined with two reactant solutions. Inside the tester, the mixture is absorbed and pulled through a color reactant. If a dot on the bottom of the disk remains white, there is no AIDS virus. A blue dot means an AIDS infection.
"The trials so far have shown an average accuracy rate of 99.8 percent," said Kelsey.
The Food and Drug Administration is expected to approve a license for the test later in the fall.
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