TY - JOUR
T1 - Estimation of current human immunodeficiency virus incidence rates from a cross-sectional survey using early diagnostic tests
AU - Brookmeyer, Ron
AU - Quinn, Thomas C.
PY - 1995/1/15
Y1 - 1995/1/15
N2 - In sharp contrast to the considerable worldwide epidemiologic data available on acquired immunodeficiency syndrome incidence and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) seroprevalence, there is relatively little information about current levels of HIV incidence rates. The authors suggest a novel approach for estimating current HIV incidence rates based on a single cross-sectional survey and on an epidemiologic model. The approach is based on diagnostic tests for HIV p24 antigen to identify individuals in the preantibody or window period (time between exposure to HIV and appearance of detectable HIV antibodies). Individuals in the preantibody period are likely to have been infected very recently because the duration of the preantibody period is relatively short. The authors report data on the duration of p24 antigenemia prior to HIV serocon version. This duration together with the prevalence of p24 antigenemia obtained from a cross-sectional survey are used in an epidemiologic model to estimate current incidence rates. This approach of estimating incidence rates may be especially useful in developing countries and high-risk populations in which it is difficult to follow cohorts to identify seroconverters, and in the design of vaccine efficacy studies in which current incidence rates are crucial for calculating sample sizes.
AB - In sharp contrast to the considerable worldwide epidemiologic data available on acquired immunodeficiency syndrome incidence and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) seroprevalence, there is relatively little information about current levels of HIV incidence rates. The authors suggest a novel approach for estimating current HIV incidence rates based on a single cross-sectional survey and on an epidemiologic model. The approach is based on diagnostic tests for HIV p24 antigen to identify individuals in the preantibody or window period (time between exposure to HIV and appearance of detectable HIV antibodies). Individuals in the preantibody period are likely to have been infected very recently because the duration of the preantibody period is relatively short. The authors report data on the duration of p24 antigenemia prior to HIV serocon version. This duration together with the prevalence of p24 antigenemia obtained from a cross-sectional survey are used in an epidemiologic model to estimate current incidence rates. This approach of estimating incidence rates may be especially useful in developing countries and high-risk populations in which it is difficult to follow cohorts to identify seroconverters, and in the design of vaccine efficacy studies in which current incidence rates are crucial for calculating sample sizes.
KW - Acquired immunodeficlency syndrome
KW - Cross-sectional studies
KW - Epidemiologic methods
KW - HIV seroprevalence statistics
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U2 - 10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a117404
DO - 10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a117404
M3 - Article
C2 - 7817972
AN - SCOPUS:0028796229
SN - 0002-9262
VL - 141
SP - 166
EP - 172
JO - American journal of epidemiology
JF - American journal of epidemiology
IS - 2
ER -