1.Evaluation of three commercial rapid tests for detecting antibodies to human immunodeficiency virus.
Ng KP ; Saw TL ; Baki A ; Kamarudin R
The Medical Journal of Malaysia 2003;58(3):454-460
Determine HIV-1/2, Chembio HIV-1/2 STAT-PAK and PenTest are simple/rapid tests for the detection of antibodies to HIV-1 and HIV-2 in human whole blood, serum and plasma samples. The assay is one step and the result is read visually within 15 minutes. Using 92 known HIV-1 reactive sera and 108 known HIV-1 negative sera, the 3 HIV tests correctly identified all the known HIV-1 reactive and negative samples. The results indicated that Determine HIV-1/2, Chembio HIV-1/2 STAT-PAK and PenTest HIV are as sensitive and specific (100% concordance) as Microparticle Enzyme Immunoassay. The data indicated that these 3 HIV tests are effective testing systems for diagnosis of HIV infection in a situation when the conventional Enzyme Immunoassay is not suitable.
*AIDS Serodiagnosis
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HIV Antibodies/*blood
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Sensitivity and Specificity
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Time Factors
2.Scopulariopsis brevicaulis infection in a patient with acute myeloid leukemia.
Ng KP ; Soo-Hoo TS ; Na SL ; Gan GG ; Sangkar JV ; Teh AK
The Medical Journal of Malaysia 2003;58(4):608-612
Scopulariopsis brevicaulis is a soil fungus normally associated with onychomycosis. It causes subcutaneous infection in immunocompromised patients and is rarely isolated from blood. A case of systemic Scopulariopsis brevicaulis infection was reported in a patient with acute myeloid leukemia. The patient developed persistent fever that did not respond to wide spectrum antibiotics and amphotericin B. Scopulariopsis brevicaulis was the only pathogen isolated from blood cultures. The fever subsided with itraconazole and there was no recurrence of fungal infection with prolonged maintenance of oral itraconazole.
Acute Disease
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Antifungal Agents/*therapeutic use
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Immunocompromised Host
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Itraconazole/*therapeutic use
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Leukemia, Myeloid/*complications
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Mycoses/*drug therapy
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Mycoses/*microbiology
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Opportunistic Infections/*drug therapy
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Opportunistic Infections/*microbiology