Fig 1.
Algorithm showing enrolment and testing of participants.
Participants’ baseline rapid results were reviewed if they had positive HIV RNA results. Those who had negative rapid test and receiving antiretroviral therapy, and those enrolled by mistake (positive baseline rapid test) were excluded. Ag = antigen, Ab = antibody, W. Blot = Western Blot.
Fig 2.
Staging of identified HIV infections based on HIV RNA (viral load), p24 antigen, antibodies, limiting antigen (LAg) avidity results and Western Blot (W. Blot).
All the red-blue dots represent participants with HIV infections that were misdiagnosed by rapid HIV tests at the points-of-care. Solid blue line represents HIV viral load during early HIV stage, and dotted blue line represents HIV viral load fluctuation during the chronic stage. Red dotted line represents eclipse stage where all HIV tests are negative. Double red lines represent HIV viral load set-point. Participants with LAg avidity results <1.5 OD-n values had early HIV infections and those with LAg results >1.5 OD-n values had chronic HIV infections. N/A = not applicable, + = positive, - = negative, < = less than, > = greater than, +/- = positive or negative results.
Table 1.
Characteristics of participants diagnosed with acute or early HIV infection.
Table 2.
Characteristics of participants diagnosed with chronic HIV infection.