MONDAY, June 21 (HealthDay News) -- Abbott's Architect HIV Ag/Ab
Combo assay has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration.
Traditional HIV diagnostics have detected HIV antibodies, which
are developed days after an infection as a sign that the body is
working to fight the invading virus. The Architect assay also
detects the HIV p24 antigen, which is a protein produced by the
virus immediately after infection, Abbott said in a news
release.
The risk of HIV transmission is highest just after infection
with the AIDS-causing virus, the company said.
Since the new test could detect HIV infection days earlier than
antibody-only diagnostics, people could be alerted before
unknowingly spreading the infection and be treated earlier, Abbott
said.
Some 56,000 new cases of HIV infection are diagnosed each year
in the United States, the Illinois-based company said, citing the
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
More information
To learn more about HIV / AIDS, visit
AIDS.gov.