OSF Saint Francis Medical Center System Laboratory has implemented a new HIV screening test, which could mean earlier detection of the virus.

A new screening analysis now offered at the OSF Saint Francis Medical Center System Laboratory detects HIV antigen and antibodies given off by the virus to HIV. This should allow earlier detection of current HIV infections.

Studies conducted by the CDC show that current antibody-only tests miss up to 10 percent of HIV infections in some high-risk populations because they do not detect antigens.

More than one million people in the United States are infected with HIV, and one in five of those people don’t know they are infected. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimates there are 56,000 new cases of HIV in the United States each year.

“The sooner patients can find out if they are infected, the sooner they will be aware of their status and receive the appropriate therapy and treatment, if needed,” said lab biochemist Jiayan Sun, PhD. “In addition, the test may be used as an aid in the diagnosis of [HIV] infection in pediatric patients, such as children as young as two years of age, and pregnant women.”

OSF Saint Francis Medical Center System Laboratory is the first clinical laboratory in central Illinois to offer this testing. The test is manufactured by Abbott Diagnostics.