Performance of the architect EBV antibody panel for determination of Epstein-Barr virus infection stage in immunocompetent adolescents and young adults with clinical suspicion of infectious mononucleosis.

The Architect EBV antibody panel is a new chemiluminescence immunoassay system used to determine the stage of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection based on the detection of IgM and IgG antibodies to viral capsid antigen (VCA) and IgG antibodies against Epstein-Barr nuclear antigen 1 (EBNA-1). We evaluated its diagnostic accuracy in immunocompetent adolescents and young adults with clinical suspicion of infectious mononucleosis (IM) using the RecomLine EBV IgM and IgG immunoblots as the reference standard. In addition, the use of the antibody panel in a sequential testing algorithm based on initial EBNA-1 IgG analysis was assessed for cost-effectiveness.

Comparative evaluation of the Artus HIV-1 QS-RGQ assay and the Abbott RealTime HIV-1 assay for the quantification of HIV-1 RNA in plasma.

Background: The quantitative measurement of HIV-1 RNA levels in plasma ('viral load') is essential in the management of HIV-infected patients.

Objective: The new Artus HIV-1 QS-RGQ assay ('Artus(HIV)') for HIV-1 RNA quantification in plasma was compared to the Abbott RealTime HIV-1 assay ('RealTime') following automated RNA isolation by the QIAsymphony and Abbott m2000 extractors, respectively. Emphasis was placed on assay performance with diverse HIV-1 subtypes and in patients receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART).