Luminex xMAP combined with Western blot improves HIV diagnostic sensitivity

Currently, Western blot is used to confirm the initial serodiagnosis of HIV infection by antibody detection. However, a major deficiency of the Western blot relates to a lack of sufficient sensitivity in detecting HIV antibodies. This report describes a simple, sensitive and inexpensive bead-based assay for detection of early HIV infection. A panel of 138 positive specimens including 105 blood donors and 33 MSM with known Western blot results were evaluated using Luminex xMAP at Tianjin Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). We demonstrate a superior sensitivity of Luminex xMAP compared with Western blot. Of the 87 confirmed HIV positive blood donors, Western blot only confirmed 65 cases with 74.7% (65/87) sensitivity while Luminex xMAP identified 72 cases with 82.8% (72/87) sensitivity (p < 0.05). Western blot and Luminex xMAP verified 13 and 19 of 33 MSM specimens, respectively. The sensitivity was 39.4% (13/33) for Western blot and 57.6% (19/33) for Luminex xMAP (p < 0.1). Luminex xMAP combined with Western blot improves the diagnostic sensitivity of HIV infection at an early stage, and reduces the chances of missed diagnosis.