Evaluation of the Gen-Probe Aptima HIV-1 RNA Qualitative Assay as an Alternative to Western Blot Analysis for Confirmation of HIV Infection

The Gen-Probe Aptima HIV-1 RNA qualitative assay was evaluated as an alternative to Western blot analysis for the confirmation of HIV infection using serum samples that were repeatedly reactive for HIV antibodies. The Aptima HIV assay readily discriminated between HIV-1-infected and -uninfected individuals and effectively reduced the number of indeterminate results relative to Western blot analysis.