The screening of anti-HIV and anti-HCV antibodies combined with antigen detection has been the cornerstone in HIV and HCV diagnostic strategies. Today's HIV and HCV screening tests have demonstrated high levels of sensitivity with minimal false positive results. In such cases, confirmatory or supplemental assays are used to avoid misinterpretation that could lead to critical outcomes. Nucleic Acid Testing (NAT), although not readily available everywhere, has reduced the window period after HIV or HCV exposure and is essential as an aid in assessing viral response to antiretroviral treatment. To enhance early diagnosis and effectively guide patients toward treatment and prevention, HIV and HCV screening and confirmation assays and testing strategies continue to evolve. This is complemented by a deeper understanding of diagnostic tools.
In this new Infectious Disease Webinar, Prof. Claude Tayou Tagny will share how the latest recommendations on HIV testing present some challenges for the confirmation of positive results and Dr. Tonya Hayden will share with us the current CDC position and forward-looking outlook on HCV testing.
Prof. Claude Tayou Tagny, MD, MS, MSc
Head, Hematology and Blood Transfusion Service
Yaounde University Teaching Hospital, Cameroon
Prof. Tagny is a hematologist with extensive expertise in transfusion medicine. He is a Professor of Haematology and the Head of the Haematology and Blood Transfusion Service at the University Teaching Hospital in Yaoundé Cameroon. He is a blood safety expert for the SBFA, the WHO Afro, and the AfSBT. His research includes the development of strategies for resource-limited areas and Transfusion Transmissible Infections (TTIs) risk management. He laid the groundwork in West Africa by describing and analyzing effective measures of improving donor and donation screening to reduce the TTIs risk over time. Prof. Tagny has published more than 100 papers in peer-reviewed journals. He serves in the Global Blood Safety Working Party of the ISBT.
Dr. Tonya Hayden, BS, MS, PhD
Deputy Branch Chief, Division of Viral Hepatitis
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Dr. Hayden completed her master’s degree in biology from Georgia Southern University and her PhD in Population Biology, Ecology and Evolution from Emory University and subsequently joined the Division of Viral Hepatitis (DVH) at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 2009. She is the Deputy Branch Chief of the Laboratory Branch of the DVH and serves as a technical supervisor for the Diagnostic Reference Laboratory. Her expertise is in the development of molecular assays for the detection of viral hepatitis and previously served as the team lead of the Assay Development Team of the DVH. Her research interests include the evolution of drug resistance, coevolution of hepatitis B and D virus, and improvements in the diagnostic landscape for viral hepatitis.