Laboratory Diagnosis of HIV/AIDS

Overview

The author gives an account of contemporary possibilities of the laboratory diagnosis of HIVinfection and AIDS. Criteria are discussed as well as situations which determine the selectionof methods and laboratory tests. For detection of new cases of HIV infection and for preventionof its transmission by administration of contaminated blood or blood preparations the methodof choice is screening of HIV antibodies. All reactive findings must be confirmed by tests in theNRL for AIDS to rule out falsely positive findings. Molecular biological tests of HIV viral nuclearacids are made in special diagnostic cases (DNA detection) and for monitoring of progressionof infection HIV in infected subjects (quantitative assessment of RNA). These methods servealso investigations on the development of resistance to antiretroviral drugs and for followingup the effectiveness of specific therapy. The author gives an account of the organization andmethodology of laboratory diagnosis of HIV/AIDS in the CR.

Key words:
HIV - AIDS - diagnosis - laboratory tests.