Use of Rapid and Conventional Testing Technologies for Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Serologic Screening in a Rural Kenyan Reference Laboratory

Abstract

We report a prospective comparison of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 testing by enzyme immunoassay and Western blot with four rapid tests of 486 subjects performed in rural Kenya. Rapid test sensitivity was 100%. Specificity ranged from 99.1 to 100%. Combined use of two Food and Drug Administration-approved rapid tests yielded a single false-positive result.