Rapid diagnostic testing of hospitalized Malawian children reveals opportunities for improved HIV diagnosis and treatment

Theresa F. Madaline, Sarah E. Hochman, Karl B. Seydel, Alice Liomba, Alex Saidi, Grace Matebule, Wenzhu B. Mowrey, Bernadette O'Hare, Danny A. Milner, Kami Kim

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

2 Scopus citations

Abstract

Recent World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines recommend antiretroviral therapy (ART) for all HIVinfected people; previously CD4+ T lymphocyte quantification (CD4 count) or clinical staging determined eligibility for children ≥ 5 years old in low- and middle-income countries. We examined positive predictive value (PPV) of a rapid diagnostic test (RDT) algorithm and ART eligibility for hospitalized children with newly diagnosed HIV infection. We enrolled 363 hospitalized Malawian children age 2 months to 16 years with two serial positive HIV RDT from 2013 to 2015. Children aged ≤ 18 months whose nucleic acid testing was negative or unavailable were later excluded from the analysis (N= 16). IfRNAPCRwas undetectable, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) enzyme immunoassay (EIA) and western blot (WB) were performed. Those with negative or discordant EIA and WB were considered HIV negative and excluded from further analysis (N=6).ARTeligibility wasassessed using age,CD4count, and clinical HIV stage.Among150 patients with HIV RNA PCR results, 15 had undetectable HIV RNA. Of those, EIA andWBwere positive in nine patients and negative or discordant in six patients. PPV of serial RDT was 90% versus RNA PCR alone and 96% versus combined RNA PCR, EIA, and WB. Of all patients aged ≥ 5 years, 8.9% were ineligible for ART under previousWHOguidelines. Improved HIV testing algorithms are needed for accurate diagnosis of HIV infection in children as prevalence of pediatric HIV declines. Universal treatment will significantly increase the numbers of older children who qualify for ART.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)1929-1935
Number of pages7
JournalAmerican Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
Volume97
Issue number6
DOIs
StatePublished - 2017

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Infectious Diseases
  • Virology
  • Parasitology

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