Rapid diagnosis of acute HIV-1 infection cases: first real-world performance of point-of-care HIV-1 nucleic acid testing in China.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Timely diagnosis of acute HIV infection (AHI) is critical for curbing transmission. However, the diagnostic window prior to antibody development limits the utility of conventional serological assays. Conventional laboratory-based nucleic acid testing (LABT) is often hindered by operational complexity and long turnaround times. Point-of-care nucleic acid testing (POCT) provides a rapid alternative.

Methods

This multicenter cross-sectional study enrolled 1,829 adults from 13 cities in Jiangsu Province and Kunming, Yunnan Province, who had reactive screening results but negative or indeterminate Western blot outcomes. The diagnostic accuracy, quantitative correlation, and agreement of the POCT (Xpert® HIV-1 Viral Load point-of-care test) were compared with LABT using

SUBMITTER: Niu M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12757961 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature