Group testing for case identification with correlated responses

This article examines group testing procedures where units within a group (or pool) may be correlated. The expected number of tests per unit (i.e., efficiency) of hierarchical- and matrix-based procedures is derived based on a class of models of exchangeable binary random variables. The effect on efficiency of the arrangement of correlated units within pools is then examined. In general, when correlated units are arranged in the same pool, the expected number of tests per unit decreases, sometimes substantially, relative to arrangements that ignore information about correlation.