Viral load testing for HIV-1 diagnosis in indeterminate and negative cases in the four districts of western Chongqing
Objective This study aimed to explore the application value of viral load(VL)testing in diagnosing HIV-1 antibody indeterminate/negative cases.Methods HIV-1 VL testing was performed on samples positive for antibody screening but indeterminate/negative for confirmatory testing at the Chongqing Yongchuan District Centre for Disease Control and Prevention,from March 2023 to September 2023.Their antibody confirmation,VL,and follow-up results were statistically analysed.Results Among 103 HIV-1 antibody indeterminate/negative cases,34.0％(35 cases)were indeterminate,and 66.0％(68 cases)were negative.Among indeterminate cases,54.3％(19/35)had a first VL exceeding the detection limit(＞1 ×105 copies/mL).In negative cases,19.1％(13/68)had a first VL exceeding the detection limit(＞1× 106 copies/mL).Indeterminate cases with detectable env bands(gp160/gp120/gp41)had a higher VL detection rate of 70.8％(17/24).Follow-up of 13 indeterminate cases revealed seroconversion in 11,whose first VLs were＞1×105 copies/mL.Two of the five negative cases followed upconverted to positive,and one to indeterminate;all three had first VLs＞1× 106copies/mL.Notably,two of 18 indeterminate/negative follow-up cases received treatment before seroconversion,with their VLs dropping from＞1×105copies/mL to＜5× 103copies/mL.Conclusions HIV-1 VL testing and antibody confirmatory testing are complementary,collaborating to minimize missed cases and expedite HIV infection diagnosis.Moreover,timely treatment of indeterminate/negative cases with high VLs can effectively reduce their viral burden and thereby lessen the risk of transmission.
NETL
NSTL
万方数据
