AIDS Testing Methodology and Management Issues

Given the continuing high level of concern among health professionals and the general public about issues related to AIDS, this volume on testing for AIDS and related viruses is extremely timely. The book has been written by experts in the area of AIDS testing, many of whom are at the Centers for Disease Control. The book includes several chapters which compare the different laboratory tests available for detecting the AIDS virus (HIV). It also addresses such topics as ethical considerations in AIDS testing, HIV infection in children, testing for other human viruses related to HIV, safety practices in HIV-testing laboratories, and managing occupational exposure to HIV. The book is intended for public health officials involved in HIV testing, hospital administrators and clinical laboratory directors responsible for setting up HIV testing programs, and physicians concerned with testing for AIDS.

1. Testing for AIDS and Other Human Retroviruses: An Overview.- 2. Testing for Retroviral Infections: Medical Indications and Ethical Considerations.- 3. Biology of Human Immunodeficiency Viruses.- 4. Immunologic Aspects of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection.- 5. Serologic Tests for the Detection of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection.- 6. Quality Control for Serologic Testing.- 7. Direct Detection of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection Using the Polymerase Chain Reaction.- 8. Human Immunodeficiency Virus Culture.- 9. Use of Flow Cytometry to Monitor Human Immunodeficiency Virus Disease.- 10. Prognostic Indicators for Progression of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Disease.- 11. Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection in Children.- 12. Other Human Retrovirus Infections: HTLV-I and HTLV-II.- 13. Biosafety: Principles and Practices in the Human Immunodeficincy Virus Laboratory.- 14. Management of Occupational Exposure to the Human Immunodeficiency Virus.