CNET, Daily Mail, Toronto Sun - Saliva-based HIV test almost as accurate as blood test
New findings that a saliva-based HIV test is only 2 percent less accurate than blood tests could make a case for more widespread self-testing around the world. Researchers from Â鶹´«Ã½ÍøÕ¾ in Montreal report in this week's issue of The Lancet Infectious Diseases that field research data from five worldwide databases show that in high-risk populations, the saliva test (approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2004) is 98.0 percent accurate, compared to a blood test's 99.68 percent accuracy.
The painless and noninvasive OraQuick HIV-1/2 saliva test, which yields results in just 20 minutes, has been shown to have great promise across several previous studies, but Â鶹´«Ã½ÍøÕ¾ medical scientist Nitika Pant Pai says this is the first study to evaluate its global potential.