Earlier detection of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 p24 antigen and immunoglobulin G and M antibodies to p17 antigen in seroconversion serum panels by immune complex transfer enzyme immunoassays

For earlier diagnosis of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection, the sensitivities of immune complex transfer enzyme immunoassays for HIV-1 p24 antigen and antibody immunoglobulin G (IgG) to HIV-1 p17 antigen were improved approximately 25- and 90-fold, respectively, over those of the previous immunoassays by performing solid-phase immunoreactions with shaking and increasing the serum sample volumes, and immune complex transfer enzyme immunoassay of antibody IgM to p17 antigen was also performed in the same way as the improved immunoassay of antibody IgG to p17 antigen. By the improved immunoassays, p24 antigen and antibody Ige to p17 antigen were detected earlier in 32 and 53%, respectively, of the HIV-1 seroconversion serum panels tested than before the improvements, and p24 antigen was detected as early as or earlier than HIV-1 RNA by reverse transcriptase-PCR (RT-PCR) in all of the panels tested. In 4 panels out of 19 tested, antibody Ige to p17 antigen or both antibodies IgG and IgM to p17 antigen were detected earlier than p24 antigen and RNA, although the antibody levels declined slightly before their steep increases usually observed after p24 antigen and RNA, Thus, the window period in diagnosis of HIV-1 infection can be shortened by detection of p24 antigen with the improved immunoassay as much as by detection of RNA with RT-PCR and, in some cases, more by detection of antibodies Ige and IgM to p17 antigen with the improved immunoassays than by detections of p24 antigen with the improved immunoassay and RNA with RT-PCR.