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Date Posted: 19:27:43 07/24/02 Wed
Author: moonotter
Subject: Inexpensive HIV Monitoring Tests May Help Developing Countries

Inexpensive HIV Monitoring Tests May Help Developing Countries


Reuters Health Information 2002. © 2002 Reuters Ltd.
Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon. Reuters and the Reuters sphere logo are registered trademarks and trademarks of the Reuters group of companies around the world.


BARCELONA, Spain (Reuters Health) Jul 08 - Two drastically cheaper tests to measure CD4+ cell counts and HIV plasma load in individuals with HIV infection are as effective as standard tests, and could play an important role in helping poor countries control the AIDS epidemic, researchers said on Monday at the International AIDS Conference.
Despite significant price reductions in antiretroviral drugs to treat HIV infection in Africa and elsewhere, scientists from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said crucial tests that help determine when to start therapy and monitor treatment response are too expensive for many poor countries.

"Drug access alone is not the answer to the treatment challenges in developing countries," CDC researcher Dr. Mandy Wilja told reporters at the conference. "Some countries are in the paradoxical situation where HIV drugs are cheaper than the CD4+ and viral load tests needed to use them effectively."

Dr. Wilja reported that a technique known as panleucogating (PLG) could effectively determine CD4+ cell counts for a quarter of the cost of existing tests.

Dr. Wilja and colleagues from the CDC's laboratories in Uganda compared PLG, which costs less than US$5, with the standard test, FACSCount, which costs US$20. They also compared the blood samples after they were stabilized using Transfix to extend the time between blood drawing and testing.

PLG results correlated closely with the results of the standard FACSCount test when used with fresh blood samples. For blood collected 3 days earlier and stabilized, the correlation between PLG results (R2=0.96) and FACSCount (R2=0.97) was also excellent.

In another study, Dr. Robert Downing, head of the CDC's Uganda labs, reported that a US$30 test to measure the plasma HIV load could be as effective as the standard RNA viral load test, which costs US$150.

The new test measures blood levels of virus-associated reverse transcriptase (RT).

In preliminary tests on a series of samples from three patients, Dr. Downing said the new RT test was as good as the standard assay for measuring trends in viral load over time for patients taking antiretroviral drugs.

However, for two of 13 specimens containing viral loads greater than 10,000 copies/mL, the new test did not detect virus.

"While more research is needed to better understand the variation seen in patients with high viral loads...we believe that the test will provide an affordable alternative for monitoring trends in viral load and guiding treatment decisions," Dr. Downing said.



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