ABSTRACT
Objective To study the characteristics and follow-up results of 94 people with indeterminate Western blot (WB) results of HIV antibody. Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on the characteristics and outcome of 94 patients with indeterminate WB results of HIV antibody from AIDS confirmation laboratories in Jiading District from 2016 to 2019. Results The 94 subjects came mainly from clinical diagnostic tests, accounting for 68.09% of the total, followed by counseling tests and maternal examinations, accounting for 12.77% and 10.64%，respectively. Follow-up testing was performed on 48 patients with indeterminate HIV antibodies, with a follow-up detection rate of 51.06%. Among them, 25.00% turned positive during the follow-up, and 39.58% turned negative. There was no significant difference in the follow-up rate between different population groups and WB band-types. The positive conversion rate of counseling test samples was the highest, accounting for 55.56% of all positive conversion cases. There was a total of 14 WB band types, mainly in p24, gpl60 and p24pl60, accounting for 54.26%, 17.02% and 9.57%, respectively. There was a significant difference in the positive conversion rate of antibodies with different patterns of WB bands. The positive conversion rate of WB band type gp160gp41p24 was 100%, while the positive rate of gp160p24, gp160, and p24 was 66.67%, 37.5% and 11.54%, respectively. Conclusion The samples with indeterminate WB results of HIV antibody were mainly from medical institutions, and the follow-up retest rate was low. Follow-up tests of specific populations and samples with specific patterns of WB bands should be strengthened to confirm HIV infection status as soon as possible.