Sensitivity of the COBAS AmpliScreen™ HIV-1 Test v1.5 for HIV-1 detection

The introduction of nucleic acid amplification techniques (NAT) in blood banks was intended to reduce the residual risk of transfusion-transmitted infections. Co-circulation of a great diversity of HIV-1 variants in Argentina portrays the need to assess the sensitivity of serological and molecular assays available for their detection. In this study, we evaluated the sensitivity of the COBAS AmpliScreen (TM) HIV-1 Test, version 1.5 (Roche) for the detection of HIV-1 RNA in plasma samples of infected individuals from Argentina. The results of this study reveal that this technique has high sensitivity for the detection of HIV-1 RNA under assay conditions: using mini-pool testing, pools >= 50 RNA copies per ml achieved >= 92 % sensitivity, whereas in the standard procedure, samples >= 207 RNA copies/ml achieved 100 % sensitivity. Moreover, the COBAS AmpliScreen (TM) HIV-1 Test, version 1.5 (Roche) is suitable for detecting prevailing HIV-1 variants. (C) 2014 Asociacion Argentina de Microbiologia. Published by Elsevier Espana, S.L. All rights reserved.