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[Early detection of HIV infection with Dried Blood Spot testing among infants in Yunnan province]
Chao-jun Yang1, Min Chen, Ling Chen
1Center for STDs/AIDS Prevention and Control, Yunnan Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Kunming 650022, China.
Insights
Dried Blood Spot (DBS) testing effectively detects early HIV infection in infants aged 6 weeks to 18 months. This method, using HIV-1 DNA detection on DBS samples, aids in timely diagnosis and intervention for infants born to HIV-positive mothers.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Infectious Diseases
- Virology
- Public Health
Context:
- Infants born to HIV-positive mothers are at risk of vertical transmission.
- Early diagnosis is crucial for timely intervention and improved outcomes.
- Traditional HIV testing methods may have limitations in early infant diagnosis.
Purpose:
- To evaluate the efficacy of Dried Blood Spot (DBS) testing for early Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) detection in infants.
- To assess the performance of HIV-1 DNA testing on DBS samples for early infant diagnosis.
- To compare DBS testing results with traditional antibody tests and analyze factors influencing transmission.
Summary:
- A study involving 286 infants (6 weeks to 18 months) born to HIV-positive mothers utilized DBS and HIV-1 DNA testing.
- The HIV-1 DNA test on DBS samples demonstrated effectiveness, with an infection rate of 2.8% (8/286), aligning with later antibody test results.
- Maternal antiviral treatment significantly reduced infant HIV infection rates (2.14% vs. 33.33%), and formula feeding was associated with lower infection rates compared to breastfeeding.
Impact:
- DBS testing provides a reliable and effective method for early HIV diagnosis in infants.
- The findings support the implementation of DBS testing in resource-limited settings for early infant diagnosis programs.
- Early detection facilitated by DBS testing can lead to prompt initiation of antiretroviral therapy, improving infant health and survival.
Objective:
To explore the application of Dried Blood Spot (DBS) testing for early detection of HIV infection among infants.
Methods:
All of the infants aged between 6 weeks and 18 months and born by HIV positive mothers from 14 Maternity and Child Health Care Hospitals in Kunming, Dali, Dehong, Lincang of Yunnan province were investigated from 2010 to 2011. By using DBS and Roche HIV-1 DNA test techniques, 286 infants were tested for HIV early diagnosis and compared with HIV antibody results of 18 months infants. DBS from uninfected infants were taken periodically and screened of HIV antibody to find their time of antibody-disappearing. The information of treatment for pregnant women and feeding methods for infants was also investigated.
Results:
A total of 286 infants were tested with HIV-1 DNA among which 148 infants were male and 138 infants female, and 8 infants were HIV-1 DNA positive and the infection rate was 2.8% (8/286) that was in accord with their antibodies results in 18 months old; the other 278 infants whose HIV-1 DNA was negative was also negative with their antibodies. By following up the antibody test of 143 HIV negative infants the cumulate rates of antibody-disappearing at the age of 6, 9, 12 and 18 months were 14.0% (20/143), 61.5% (88/143), 88.1% (126/143) and 100.0% (143/143), respectively. Among 286 HIV positive pregnant women, the group with anti-viral treatment had a lower rate of HIV infection with their infants that was 2.14% (6/280) while the group without anti-viral treatment had a high rate of HIV infection with their infants that was 33.33% (2/6). There was significantly different in the rates of two groups (P < 0.01). The HIV infection rate of infants fed with milk powder was 2.55% (7/274) and the rate was 8.33% (1/12) with breast milk.
Conclusion:
The HIV-1 DNA detection techniques with DBS sample was effective for the early diagnosis of HIV in infants from 6 weeks to 18 months.
