Short Communication: Validation of the Asante HIV-1 Rapid Recency Assay for Detection of Recent HIV-1 Infections in Uganda

Point of care rapid recency testing for HIV-1 may be a cost-effective tool to identify recently infected individuals for incidence estimation, and focused HIV prevention through intensified contact tracing. We validated the Asante™ HIV-1 rapid recency assay for use in Uganda. Archived specimens (serum/plasma), collected from longitudinally observed HIV-1 recently and long-term infected participants, were tested with the Asante HIV-1 rapid recency assay per manufacturer's instructions. Previously identified antiretroviral therapy (ART)-naive samples with known seroconversions within 6 months of follow-up were tested in independent laboratories: the Rakai Health Sciences Program (RHSP) and the Uganda Virus Research Institute HIV Reference Laboratory (UVRI-HRL). In addition, samples from participants who seroconverted within 6-18 months and samples from individuals with chronic HIV-1 infection of at least 18 months duration were classified into three categories: ART naive, ART exposed with suppressed viral loads, and ART exposed with detectable viremia. Of the 85 samples seroconverting in ≤6 months, 27 and 42 samples were identified as "recent" by the Asante HIV-1 rapid recency test at the RHSP laboratory and UVRI-HRL, corresponding to sensitivities of 32% and 49%, respectively. There was 72% agreement between the laboratories (Cohen's kappa = 0.481, 95% CI = 0.317-0.646,