Optimizing screening for acute human immunodeficiency virus infection with pooled nucleic acid amplification tests.

ABSTRACT: Recent studies have shown the public health importance of identifying individuals with acute human immunodeficiency virus infection (AHI); however, the cost of nucleic acid amplification testing (NAAT) makes individual testing of at-risk individuals prohibitively expensive in many settings. Pooled NAAT (or group testing) can improve efficiency and test performance of testing for AHI, but optimizing the pooling algorithm can be difficult. We developed simple, flexible biostatistical models of specimen pooling with NAAT for the identification of AHI cases; these models incorporate group testing theory, operating characteristics of biological assays, and a model of viral dynamics during AHI. Pooling algorithm sensitivity, efficiency (test kits used per individual specimen evaluated), and posi

SUBMITTER: Westreich DJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2395100 | biostudies-literature | 2008 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature