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Volume 38, Issue 2

Original Article

False Positivity and Reliability of HIV Antigen/Antibody ELISA Testing in Pregnancy

Muhammed Bekçibaşı
Affiliations
  • SBÜ Gazi Yaşargil Eğitim ve Araştırma Hastanesi, İnfeksiyon Hastalıkları ve Klinik Mikrobiyoloji Kliniği, Diyarbakır, Türkiye
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0230-9127
,
Bernan Yokuş-Em
Affiliations
  • SBÜ Gazi Yaşargil Eğitim ve Araştırma Hastanesi, Tıbbi Mikrobiyoloji Laboratuvarı, Diyarbakır, Türkiye
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4535-856X
,
Serhat Ege
Affiliations
  • Dicle Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi, Kadın Hastalıkları ve Doğum Anabilim Dalı, Diyarbakır, Türkiye
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5430-602X
  • anti-HIV
  • ELİSA
  • ELİSA
  • false positive
  • HIV Ag/Ab
  • pregnancy
  • yalancı pozitif

Abstract

Objective: In this study, we aimed to determine the false-positive HIV test rate in pregnant women living in a low-endemic region for HIV infection and to develop appropriate strategies to prevent unnecessary antiretroviral prophylaxis.

Methods: A total of 115,217 women aged 18 years and older who applied to the Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinic of the Health Sciences University Gazi Yaşargil Training and Research Hospital between January 01, 2018, and December 31, 2022, and underwent ELISA HIV Ag/Ab testing were included in the retrospective study. HIV Ag/Ab tests were performed using the fourth-generation HIV Ag/Ab Combo chemiluminescence microparticle immunoassay method; positive results were confirmed in the reference laboratory.

Results: The HIV Ag/Ab ELISA test positivity rate was 0.18% (91/49,560) in pregnant women and 0.02% (14/65,657) in non-pregnant women. In confirmation tests and HIV-RNA tests, 2 (%0.004) pregnant and 3 (%0.005) non-pregnant women were found to be positive. False positive HIV tests were found at a rate of 0.18% (89/49,560) in pregnant women and 0.02% (11/65,657) in non-pregnant women; this difference was found to be statistically significant (p=0.016). It was observed that the mean HIV Ag/Ab S/Co titer was significantly higher in pregnant women with genuine HIV positivity.

Conclusion: The false positive rate in HIV Ag/Ab ELISA tests is higher in pregnant women than in non-pregnant women. In pregnant women with genuine HIV positivity, high HIV Ag/Ab S/Co titer values are striking. Due to the high false positive rates, it is recommended that HIV diagnosis in pregnant women be confirmed as soon as possible before starting antiretroviral treatment.

Show References

References

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  • 120-3
  • Muhammed Bekçibaşı
  • [email protected]
  • 10.36519/kd.2025.5119
  • October 3, 2024
  • March 19, 2025
  • June 28, 2025

  • Bekçibaşı M, Yokuş-Em B, Ege S. [False positivity and reliability of HIV antigen/antibody ELISA testing in pregnancy]. Klimik Derg. 2025;38(2):120-3. Turkish.

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