HIV infection is diagnosed by testing for the HIV antibodies present in the fluids of an infected person. The fluids used to test for the HIV antibodies are the oral fluids, blood, virginal discharge and semen. For the oral fluids, it is argued that it has a minimal concentration of the antibodies, thus the need for a very sensitive screening tool. Antibody Detection by Agglutination–PCR (ADAP) is recommended for the risk population where needles are inconvenient such as pediatrics or unsafe as in the prisons (Tsai et al., 2018).
Before the development of Antibody Detection by Agglutination–PCR (ADAP), oral fluids were tested using a clinical enzyme-linked immunoassay (EIAs) which was less sensitive to the HIV antibodies in the oral fluids. Saliva is an easy tool to use due to its easy access and the low levels of invasiveness (Sareen, Tandon, Ramachandran, & Srimathi, 2018). The sample used for the test is painless and quick to access, which is advantageous to both the patient and the practitioner.
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HIV is considered an epidemic across the globe and therefore, necessitates the adoption of new and advanced methods of virus screening to enable early detection and management of the patients (Tsang, Wing-Chi-Chan, Tong, & Wong, 2018). The use of oral fluid as a tool is valid and reliable because the fluid is easily accessible irrespective of the health status of the person at the moment. The reliability of the test is based on the test-retest subjected. The transformation of the tool is based on the technique to increase its sensitivity to antibodies available in the oral fluids (Tsai et al., 2018). I would integrate the tool in my advanced practice because evidence-based practice is transformative and thus will use what is most effective and efficient for the wellbeing of the patient.
References
Sareen, A., Tandon, S., Ramachandran, A., & Srimathi, R. (2018). Saliva as A Diagnostic Tool for Detection of the Viruses: A Review. Research Journal of Pharmacy and Technology , 4739-4743.
Tsai, C.-t., Robinson, P. V., Cortez, F. d., Elma, M. L., Seftel, D., Pourmandi, N., et al. (2018). Antibody detection by agglutination–PCR (ADAP) enables early diagnosis of HIV infection by oral fluid analysis. PNAS, 115 (6), 1250-1255.
Tsang, H.-H., Wing-Chi-Chan, L., Tong, J. C.-H., & Wong, H.-T. (2018). Implementation and new insights in molecular diagnostics for HIV infection. Expert Review of Molecular Diagnostics , 433-441.
