Journal Article > ResearchFull Text
J Int AIDS Soc. 21 October 2018; Volume 21 (Issue 10); DOI:10.1002/jia2.25194
Etoori D, Ciglenecki I, Ndlangamandla M, Edwards CG, Jobanputra K, et al.
J Int AIDS Soc. 21 October 2018; Volume 21 (Issue 10); DOI:10.1002/jia2.25194
As antiretroviral therapy (ART) is scaled up, more patients become eligible for routine viral load (VL) monitoring, the most important tool for monitoring ART efficacy. For HIV programmes to become effective, leakages along the VL cascade need to be minimized and treatment switching needs to be optimized. However, many HIV programmes in resource-constrained settings report significant shortfalls.
Journal Article > ResearchFull Text
BMC Infect Dis. 14 November 2018; Volume 18 (Issue 1); DOI:10.1186/s12879-018-3474-1
Mpala Q, Maphalala G, Uribe PAD, de la Tour R, Kalombola S, et al.
BMC Infect Dis. 14 November 2018; Volume 18 (Issue 1); DOI:10.1186/s12879-018-3474-1
Viral load (VL) testing is being scaled up in resource-limited settings. However, not all commercially available VL testing methods have been evaluated under field conditions. This study is one of a few to evaluate the Biocentric platform for VL quantification in routine practice in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Journal Article > ResearchFull Text
J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr. 1 September 2019; Volume 82 (Issue 1); 96-104.; DOI:10.1097/QAI.0000000000002101
Kerschberger B, Ntshalintshali N, Mpala Q, Diaz Uribe PA, Maphalala G, et al.
J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr. 1 September 2019; Volume 82 (Issue 1); 96-104.; DOI:10.1097/QAI.0000000000002101
BACKGROUND
To assess the performance and suitability of dried blood spot (DBS) sampling using filter paper to collect blood for viral load (VL) quantification under routine conditions.
METHODS
We compared performance of DBS VL quantification using the Biocentric method with plasma VL quantification using Roche and Biocentric as reference methods. Adults (≥18 years) were enrolled at 2 health facilities in Eswatini from October 12, 2016 to March 1, 2017. DBS samples were prepared through finger-prick by a phlebotomist (DBS-1), and through the pipetting of whole venous blood by a phlebotomist (DBS-2) and by a laboratory technologist (DBS-3). We calculated the VL-testing completion rate, correlation, and agreement, as well as diagnostic accuracy estimates at the clinical threshold of 1000 copies/mL.
RESULTS
Of 362 patients enrolled, 1066 DBS cards (DBS-1: 347; DBS-2: 359; DBS-3: 360) were tested. Overall, test characteristics were comparable between DBS-sampling methods, irrespective of the reference method. The Pearson correlation coefficients ranged from 0.67 to 0.82 (P < 0.001) for different types of DBS sampling using both reference methods, and the Bland-Altman difference ranged from 0.15 to 0.30 log10 copies/mL. Sensitivity estimates were from 85.3% to 89.2% and specificity estimates were from 94.5% to 98.6%. The positive predictive values were between 87.0% and 96.5% at a prevalence of 30% VL elevations, and negative predictive values were between 93.7% and 95.4%.
CONCLUSIONS
DBS VL quantification using the newly configured Biocentric method can be part of contextualized VL-testing strategies, particularly for remote settings and populations with higher viral failure rates.
To assess the performance and suitability of dried blood spot (DBS) sampling using filter paper to collect blood for viral load (VL) quantification under routine conditions.
METHODS
We compared performance of DBS VL quantification using the Biocentric method with plasma VL quantification using Roche and Biocentric as reference methods. Adults (≥18 years) were enrolled at 2 health facilities in Eswatini from October 12, 2016 to March 1, 2017. DBS samples were prepared through finger-prick by a phlebotomist (DBS-1), and through the pipetting of whole venous blood by a phlebotomist (DBS-2) and by a laboratory technologist (DBS-3). We calculated the VL-testing completion rate, correlation, and agreement, as well as diagnostic accuracy estimates at the clinical threshold of 1000 copies/mL.
RESULTS
Of 362 patients enrolled, 1066 DBS cards (DBS-1: 347; DBS-2: 359; DBS-3: 360) were tested. Overall, test characteristics were comparable between DBS-sampling methods, irrespective of the reference method. The Pearson correlation coefficients ranged from 0.67 to 0.82 (P < 0.001) for different types of DBS sampling using both reference methods, and the Bland-Altman difference ranged from 0.15 to 0.30 log10 copies/mL. Sensitivity estimates were from 85.3% to 89.2% and specificity estimates were from 94.5% to 98.6%. The positive predictive values were between 87.0% and 96.5% at a prevalence of 30% VL elevations, and negative predictive values were between 93.7% and 95.4%.
CONCLUSIONS
DBS VL quantification using the newly configured Biocentric method can be part of contextualized VL-testing strategies, particularly for remote settings and populations with higher viral failure rates.
Conference Material > Poster
Antabak NT, Loarec A, Nguyen AP, Eliseo NDM, Molfino L, et al.
MSF Scientific Days International 2018: Research. 4 May 2018; DOI:10.7490/f1000research.1115424.1