# HIV-1 virion lysis following centrifugation improves the sensitivity of the Fourth-Generation HIV Ag/Ab combo assay

## TL;DR

Centrifugation combined with HIV-1 virion lysis improves the sensitivity of a blood test for early HIV detection.

## Contribution

A new method combining centrifugation and virion lysis enhances the fourth-generation HIV assay's sensitivity during acute infection.

## Key findings

- Centrifugation alone detected 16% of HIV-positive samples.
- Lysis alone detected 26% of HIV-positive samples.
- Combining centrifugation and lysis detected 50% of HIV-positive samples.

## Abstract

Fourth-generation HIV Ag/Ab Combo assay is used for HIV screening of blood for transfusion in developing countries, however, the sensitivity of the assay is questionable during the acute phase of HIV infection. Thus, the study aimed to determine the effect of combining centrifugation with HIV-1 virion lysis on the sensitivity of the fourth-generation HIV Ag/Ab combo assay.

When the 50 HIV-1 antibody-negative samples were run on the fourth-generation HIV Ag/Ab combo assay, 8 (16%) were positive following centrifugation, 13 (26%) were positive following lysis while 25 (50%) were positive after combining centrifugation with HIV-1 virion lysis.