Evaluation of a solid-phase immunoassay for the simultaneous detection of antibodies to human immunodeficiency virus type 1 and human T-cell lymphotropic virus type I.

We describe the evaluation of a solid-phase immunoassay developed for the simultaneous detection of antibodies to human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) and human T-cell lymphotropic virus types I (HTLV-I) and II (HTLV-II) in human serum. The immunoassay employs a mixture of HIV-1 and HTLV-I whole viral lysates immobilized in the wells of microtiter plates. Evaluation of genetically well-pedigreed specimens along with normal blood donor samples indicated that the performance characteristics of the test were equivalent to the sensitivity and specificity of individual tests licensed by the Food and Drug Administration for antibodies to HIV-1 and HTLV-I. Furthermore, the test was also able to detect the presence of cross-reacting antibodies in HTLV-II-infected individuals. The use of such a test would greatly reduce the continually mounting costs associated with screening transfusable products for infectious agents.