Rapid HIV Test with 100% Sensitivity and Specificity

A rapid test for HIV showed 100% sensitivity and 100% specificity after almost 600 tests performed at Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (Washington, DC, USA). The results were presented at the 2001 National HIV Prevention Conference in Atlanta, GA (USA, USA).

The test provides results within 30 seconds or less, requires no special training, extra equipment, or refrigeration, uses only a small amount of fingerstick blood, and costs around US$10. Called InstantScreen, the test was developed by the German American Institute for Applied Biological Research (Potsdam, Germany). Bico, Inc. (Pittsburgh, PA, USA) recently obtained the exclusive worldwide marketing rights to the test, which will be marketed worldwide by Bico's subsidiary, Rapid HIV Detection Corp. (also in Pittsburgh). This subsidiary also markets InstantConfirm, an eight-minute confirmation test that the company says can transform the Western Blot test into a rapid format, usable immediately to confirm a positive result.

During the conference, Dr. Bernard Branson, medical epidemiologist for the U.S. National Center for HIV, STD, and TB Prevention, stressed the need for rapid HIV testing as the first step to combat the HIV/AIDS pandemic worldwide.




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