Can HIV reverse transcriptase activity assay be a low-cost alternative for viral load monitoring in resource-limited settings?

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the performance and cost of an HIV reverse transcriptase-enzyme activity (HIV-RT) assay in comparison to an HIV-1 RNA assay for routine viral load monitoring in resource limited settings. DESIGN: A cohort-based longitudinal study. SETTING: Two antiretroviral therapy (ART) centres in Karnataka state, South India, providing treatment under the Indian AIDS control programme. PARTICIPANTS: A cohort of 327 HIV-1-infected Indian adult patients initiating first-line ART. OUTCOME MEASURES: Performance and cost of an HIV-RT assay (ExaVir Load V3) in comparison to a gold standard HIV-1 RNA assay (Abbott m2000rt) in a cohort of 327 Indian patients before (WK00) and 4 weeks (WK04) after initiation of first-line therapy. RESULTS: Plasma viral load was determined by an HIV-1 RNA assay and an HIV-RT assay in 629 samples (302 paired samples and 25 single time point samples at WK00) obtained from 327 patients. Overall, a strong correlation of r=0.96 was observed, with good correlation at WK00 (r=0.84) and at WK04 (r=0.77). Bland-Altman analysis of all samples showed a good level of agreement with a mean difference (bias) of 0.22 log(10)copies/mL. The performance of ExaVir Load V3 was not negatively affected by a nevirapine/efavirenz based antiretroviral regimen. The per test cost of measuring plasma viral load by the Abbott m2000rt and ExaVir Load V3 assays in a basic lab setting was $36.4 and $16.8, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The strong correlation between the HIV-RT and HIV-1 RNA assays suggests that the HIV-RT assay can be an affordable alternative option for monitoring patients on antiretroviral therapy in resource-limited settings. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ISRCTN79261738.