Infant HIV testing at birth using point-of-care and conventional HIV DNA PCR: an implementation feasibility pilot study in Kenya.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Infant HIV diagnosis by HIV DNA polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing at the standard 6 weeks of age is often late to mitigate the mortality peak that occurs in HIV positive infants' first 2-3 months of life. Kenya recently revised their early infant diagnosis (EID) guidelines to include HIV DNA PCR testing at birth (pilot only), 6 weeks, 6 months, and 12 months postnatal and a final 18-month antibody test. The World Health Organization (WHO) approved point-of-care (POC) diagnostic platforms for infant HIV testing in resource-limited countries that could simplify logistics and expedite infant diagnosis. Sustainable scale-up and optimal utility in Kenya and other high-prevalence countries depend on robust implementation studies in diverse clinical settings.

Methods</

SUBMITTER: Sandbulte MR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6347792 | biostudies-literature | 2019

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature