AIDSWEEKLY Plus; Monday, June 13, 2005
Staff Medical Writers

"Effective health care delivery to the majority of perinatally exposed infants worldwide, including those enrolled in prevention of mother-to-child transmission programs, is hampered by lack of access to an HIV diagnosis in infancy.

"Dried blood spot collection from young infants for centralized HIV polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing is attainable in low-resource settings, provided PCR methodology suitable for routine laboratory service is available," scientists writing in the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes report.

"The accuracy of the Roche Amplicor HIV-1 DNA test version 1.5 (Branchburg, NJ) performed on dried blood spots collected prospectively on ordinary Whatman filter paper from a cohort of 300 6-week-old infants born to HIV-infected women in Johannesburg, South Africa, was assessed," said researchers.

"Anonymous analysis of the blood spots using a unique DNA extraction procedure was performed in a routine diagnostic laboratory and the results compared with HIV DNA and RNA PCR liquid blood tests at age 6 weeks, and the HIV status of the infant.

"Dried blood spots were available for 288 infants (96%) of whom 25 (8.7%) were HIV infected," continued G.G. Sherman and colleagues at the South Africa National Health Laboratory Service and University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg.

"The Roche Amplicor assay yielded a sensitivity of 100% and a specificity of 99.6%. HIV DNA PCR tests on dried blood spots have the potential to improve health care delivery to HIV-affected children in low-resource settings right now," concluded the authors.

Sherman and colleagues published their study in Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes (Dried blood spots improve access to HIV diagnosis and care for infants in low-resource settings. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr. 2005 Apr 15;38(5):615-7.

Additional information can be obtained by contacting G.G. Sherman, POB 79722, ZA-2145 Johannesburg, South Africa.

The publisher of the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes can be contacted at: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 530 Walnut St., Philadelphia, PA 19106-3621, USA.

Keywords: Johannesburg, South Africa, HIV/AIDS, Dried Blood Spots, Infant Diagnosis, Low Resource Setting, RNA PCR.

This article was prepared by AIDS Weekly editors from staff and other reports.

Reference

Sherman GG, Stevens G, Jones SA, et al., Dried blood spots improve access to HIV diagnosis and care for infants in low-resource settings, J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr. 2005 Apr 15;38(5):615-7.

PubMED Related articles Search

050613
AW050604

Copyright © 2005 - Charles Henderson, Publisher. All rights Reserved. Permission to reproduce granted to AEGIS by Charles W. Henderson. Authorization to reproduce for personal use granted granted by C. W. Henderson, Publisher, provided that the fee of US$4.50 per copy, per page is paid directly to the Copyright Clearance Center, 27 Congress Street, Salem, Massachusetts 01970, USA. Published by Charles Henderson, Publisher. Editorial & Publishing Office: P.O. Box 5528, Atlanta, GA 30307-0528 / Telephone: (800) 633-4931; Subscription Office: P.O. Box 830409, Birmingham, AL 35283-0409 / FAX: (205) 995-1588 http://www.newsrx.net

AEGiS is made possible through unrestricted grants from Boehringer Ingelheim, Elton John AIDS Foundation, Bridgestone/Firestone Charitable Trust, the National Library of Medicine, and donations from users like you. Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 2005. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.

AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is often presented in summary or aggregate form. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.

Copyright © 1980,2005. AEGiS. All materials appearing on AEGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of AEGiS, or the party credited as the provider of the content.