Objective To explore the feasibility of group testing with mixed serum samples in human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) screening.
Methods We established a mathematical model for the application of group testing with mixed serum samples based on probability theory and mathematical statistics principle. Then we conducted a mixed serum sample-group testing for detection of HIV antibody with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) among 1 120 female sex workers (FSW), 638 men who have sex with men (MSM), and 13 500 preoperative inpatients in Fuyang district of Hangzhou city, Zhejiang province between July 2017 and April 2018.
Results Totally 67, 113, and 570 mixed serum sample-group testings and subsequent individual testings for the positive groups were performed for the 1 120 FSW, 638 MSM, and 13 500 preoperative inpatients, with the ratios for the reduced test number of 94.0%, 82.3%, and 95.8%, respectively. The group testings identified 1, 6, and 6 HIV antibody positive individuals among the FSW, MSM, and preoperative patients and the results were consistent with those of separate testing.
Conclusion Group testing with mixed serum samples is applicable to the test with a large amount of samples in the screening of HIV infection and could increase detection efficiency significantly.
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