Saliva as good as serum for HIV testing:
This article was originally published in Clinica
Executive Summary
Oral fluid tests for HIV are as accurate as serum tests, a University of Maryland study has found. Samples from 200 adolescents were tested with three commercial saliva assay kits - Orasure, Orapette Saliva Card, and Omni-sal Immunocomb, and the results compared with standard blood ELISA. The first two saliva tests - which take only 12 minutes each - showed 98.9% specificity and 100% sensitivity. The Immunocomb - taking 30 minutes per test - achieved 100% for both. Study leader Ligia Peralta said the speed and ease of saliva sampling could improve adolescents' take-up of HIV testing. They are not FDA-approved, however.