Dual antibody and antigen tests for HIV detection among Indonesians
Keywords:
HIV, antibody, antigen, rapid test, ELISA, IndonesiaAbstract
Background and aim: Low-cost, simple, and accurate tests for screening and diagnosis of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) are essential to control transmission in resource-limited settings such as Indonesia. Combined antibody and antigen detection assays have been widely used for initial screening. Our study aimed to describe the detection patterns of HIV antibodies and p24 antigen among HIV patients and healthy individuals in Indonesia.
Methods: We conducted a case-control study involving 262 participants, consisting of 131 HIV-positive individuals and 131 HIV-negative controls. Antibody detection was performed using a rapid test, and p24 antigen was detected by ELISA.
Results: Antibodies were detected in 97.7% of HIV-positive individuals, whereas antigen was detected in 25.2%. No antibodies were detected in healthy controls, although 3.1% showed antigen positivity but were PCR-negative, suggesting possible false positives or early seroconversion. Antibody results were not influenced by age, sex, marital status, ARV use, or transmission route. In contrast, antigen detection was associated with ARV use, treatment duration, and transmission route.
Conclusions: These findings highlight the complementary roles of antibody and antigen tests in different phases of infection. While antibody tests remain robust for screening, further exploration is warranted on the potential utility and limitations of p24 antigen detection in early infection or in populations with recent exposure.
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