AN EVALUATION OF THE CAPILLUS HIV-1 HIV-2 LATEX AGGLUTINATION-TEST USING SERUM AND WHOLE-BLOOD/

The capillus HIV-1/HIV-2 latex agglutination (LA) test was evaluated f or its potential as an initial screening test in primary health care. For the serum study, panels totalling 289 HIV-positive sera and 323 kn own HIV-negative sera plus 50 individual seroconversion samples were t ested by capillus. Paired blood specimens were also collected in hepar inized and plain tubes from 501 consecutive patients with newly diagno sed sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) attending an STD clinic at a Transvaal hospital. Overall, an initial sensitivity of 99.3% and an in itial specificity of 99.7% were obtained by visual reading of the capi llus HIV-1/HIV-2 LA tests on serum samples. Capillus also detected 40 (80%) of the 50 seroconversion samples. Of the 501 paired plain and he parinized blood specimens, serum testing by enzyme immunoassay (ELA) a nd indirect immunofluorescence/Western blot (IFA/WB) showed 147 (29%) to be HIV Ab positive. Capillus testing of the paired specimens correc tly identified all 147 known positive patients and 345 of the 346 nega tive patients, thus showing an initial sensitivity of 100% and an init ial specificity of 99.7% for the testing of heparinized whole blood by a relatively unskilled health worker. It was concluded that the capil lus HIV-1/HIV-2 LA test would be suitable for use as a primary screeni ng test in small outlying laboratories or primary health care clinics.