RESUMEN
OBJECTIVE: To compare the laboratory performance of a HIV antibody Rapid Diagnostic Test (RDT) [Determine HIV-1/2] with an Enhanced ELISA [GENSCREEN PLUS HIV Ag-Ab] used for HIV screening among blood donors in a hospital-based transfusion centre in North Central Nigeria. METHODS: The serum of four hundred and forty (440) blood donors of both sexes aged between 18 and 55 years, who fulfilled the conditions to donate blood, were serially tested for HIV using both methods. RESULT: DetermineTM HIV-1/2 detected 16 (3.6%) while GENSCREEN PLUS HIV Ag-Ab ELISA detected 41 (9.3%) blood donors who were HIV sero-positive. The DetermineTM HIV-1/2 missed 25 (61%) blood donors who were positive with the GENSCREENPLUS HIV Ag-Ab ELISA. The calculated sensitivity and specificity of Determine HIV-1/2 were 39.0% and 100% respectively while the positive predictive value and negative predictive values of Determine HIV-1/2 were 100% and 94.1% respectively. CONCLUSION: The HIV Antibody RDT (Determine HIV-1/2) has a very low sensitivity and therefore, inadequate in preventing transfusion transmissible HIV (TT-HIV) in a hospital-based blood transfusion service. The National Blood Transfusion Service (NBTS) in Nigeria should be equipped and supported to provide blood products screened with Enhanced ELISA as well as to embark on regular evaluation of all HIV screening assays used in the country in order to prevent counterfeit and sub standard assays and invariably reduce the risk of TT-HIV infection in the country.