Clinic-based evaluation study of the diagnostic accuracy of a dual rapid test for the screening of HIV and syphilis in pregnant women in Nigeria

• Published in: PloS one 2018-07, Vol.13 (7), p.e0198698-e0198698
• Main Authors: Olugbenga, Ijaodola, Taiwo, Oyelade, Laverty, Maura, Ngige, Evelyn, Anyaike, Chukwuma, Bakare, Rasheed, Ogunleye, Veronica, Peterson Maddox, Brandy L, Newman, Daniel R, Gliddon, Harriet D, Ofondu, Eugenia, Nurse-Findlay, Stephen, Taylor, Melanie M
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acceptability; Acquired immune deficiency syndrome; Adolescent; Adult; AIDS; AIDS Serodiagnosis - methods; Algorithms; Ambulatory Care Facilities; Antibodies, Bacterial - blood; Antibodies, Viral - blood; Biology and Life Sciences; Diagnosis; Diagnostic systems; Disease transmission; Feasibility studies; Female; Health aspects; Health screening; HIV; HIV - immunology; HIV - isolation & purification; HIV Infections - diagnosis; HIV Infections - epidemiology; HIV Infections - immunology; HIV Infections - virology; Human immunodeficiency virus; Humans; Immunoassay; Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical - prevention & control; Mass Screening - instrumentation; Mass Screening - methods; Medical diagnosis; Medicine and Health Sciences; Nigeria; People and Places; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Complications, Infectious - diagnosis; Pregnancy Complications, Infectious - microbiology; Pregnancy Complications, Infectious - prevention & control; Pregnancy Complications, Infectious - virology; Pregnant women; Prevention; Reagent Kits, Diagnostic; Research and Analysis Methods; Screening; Sensitivity; Sensitivity and Specificity; Sexually transmitted diseases; Syphilis; Syphilis - diagnosis; Syphilis - epidemiology; Syphilis - immunology; Syphilis - microbiology; Syphilis Serodiagnosis - methods; Systematic review; Treponema pallidum - immunology; Treponema pallidum - isolation & purification; Womens health
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0198698

Screening pregnant women for HIV and syphilis is recommended by WHO in order to reduce mother-to-child transmission. We evaluated the field performance, feasibility, and acceptability of a dual rapid diagnostic test (RDT) for HIV and syphilis test in antenatal clinic settings in Nigeria. Participants were recruited at 12 antenatal clinic sites in three states of Nigeria. All consenting individuals were tested according to the national HIV testing algorithm, as well as a dual RDT, the SD BIOLINE HIV/Syphilis Duo Test (Alere, USA), in the clinic. To determine sensitivity, specificity and concordance, whole blood samples were obtained for repeat RDT performance in the laboratory, as well as reference tests for HIV and syphilis. Dual test acceptability and operational characteristics were assessed among participants and clinic staff. The prevalence of HIV among the 4,551 enrollees was 3.0% (138/4551) using the national clinic-based HIV testing algorithm. Positive and negative percent agreement of the HIV component of the dual RDT were 100.0% (95% CI 99.7-100.0) and 99.9% (95% CI 99.7-100.0) respectively, when compared with the national rapid testing algorithm. The prevalence of syphilis, using TPHA as the reference test, was low at 0.09% (4/4550). The sensitivity of the syphilis component of the dual RDT could not be calculated as no positive results were observed for patients that were positive for syphilis by TPHA. Each of the only four TPHA-positive specimens had RPR titers of 1:1 (neat), indicative of non-active syphilis. The specificity of the syphilis component of the dual RDT was 99.9% (95% CI 99.8-100.0). The dual RDT received favorable feasibility ratings among antenatal care clinic staff. Acceptability among study participants was high with most women reporting preference for rapid dual HIV/syphilis testing. The SD BIOLINE HIV/Syphilis Duo Test showed a high overall diagnostic accuracy for HIV and a high specificity for syphilis diagnosis in antenatal clinic settings. This study adds to a growing body of evidence that supports the clinic-based use of dual tests for HIV and syphilis among pregnant women.