Qualitative Determination of HIV Rapidly Performed on Integrated System

The immunoassay may also be used to screen for HIV in pregnant women to identify neonates who are at high risk of acquiring HIV during the prenatal period. Being aware of a mother's HIV status enables physicians to prevent mother-to-child HIV transmission by providing antiretroviral treatment to both mothers and their babies.

Ortho Clinical Diagnostics (Raritan, NJ, USA) announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA; Silver Spring, MD, USA) approved its diagnostic assay for the detection of antibodies to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) types 1+2 (anti-HIV 1+2) for use on both the Vitros 5600 integrated and Vitros 3600 immunodiagnostic systems. The diagnostic assay will allow laboratories to run HIV and other routine tests on a single testing platform thus eliminating the need for expensive batch testing of multiple patient samples.

The Vitros 5600 integrated system is a high-capacity system that integrates clinical chemistry and immunoassay testing on one platform using sample centered processing. It is smaller than many other systems and does not have any water or drainage requirements. The Vitros 3600 Immunodiagnostic System is a high-capacity immunoassay system with Intelligent Sample Management for routine and specialty testing. It offers a broad menu of 47 immunoassays, covering disease states such as cardiology, oncology, endocrinology, infectious disease, thyroid, metabolic conditions, and anemia.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC; Atlanta, GA, USA) recommends routine HIV screening for people between the ages of 13 and 64 during annual check-ups, pregnant women either before or during pregnancy, and newborns.

"By providing a fast, cost-effective, and reliable method for testing HIV, the Vitros Anti-HIV 1+2 assay will help enhance the clinical laboratory's ability to adhere to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) HIV screening guidelines, while at the same time increasing the lab's productivity and efficiency," said Mike Samoszuk, M.D., Chief Medical Officer, Ortho Clinical Diagnostics.

Related Links:
Ortho Clinical Diagnostics
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention