Seroprevalence and comparison of three different screening tests for detection of human immunodeficiency virus infection in Peshawar, Pakistan

摘要

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) concedes as a significant public health issue in the world from decades, which is growing speedily in number. Although, there seems to be insufficient data regarding HIV infection seroprevalence in general population of Peshawar, Pakistan. The objectives of the current study was to determine the seroprevalence of HIV infection in the general population of Peshawar, Pakistan and to compare the performance of three different screening methods for detection of HIV infection. A total of 5370 blood samples were screened for anti-HIV antibodies and HIV-RNA by using immunochromatographic test (ICT), enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) at Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) centre in Hayatabad Medical Complex (HMC), Peshawar. Out of 5370 blood samples, 756 (14.07%) were positive by ICT, 639 (11.89%) by ELISA and 606 (11.28%) by RT-PCR. The active HIV infection was high in males, i.e. 468 (13.61%) than in females 138 (7.14%). It was observed that infection was highest in the age group of 21–30 years that was about 237 (16.80%), whereas no sign of infection was observed for the age group of 01-10 years. However, the married population had an HIV seroprevalence of 423 (13.83%) while singles had 183 (7.91%) respectively. ELISA should be preferred for anti-HIV antibodies detection over ICT and RT-PCR should be preferred over ELISA for HIV-RNA detection. Moreover, the provision of treatment and screening facilities against this virus should be assured in medical care units of rural areas to prevent this infection.