ATLANTA - Federal health officials are warning about a possible shortage of a kit used to confirm HIV test results that initially come back positive. <br>
<br>
The possible shortage means some patients may have to wait longer for final HIV test results, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a bulletin published Friday. <br>
<br>
The warning involves HIV-1 Western blot kits, which are used for confirmation after initial tests on plasma and blood come back positive. The initial tests occasionally yield false positive results. <br>
<br>
One of two manufacturers of the Western blot kit, Calypte Biomedical Corp. of Alameda, Calif., has warned it may stop making them. The company laid off half its workforce last month and said it may file for bankruptcy. <br>
<br>
Only one other company, BioRad Laboratories Inc. of Hercules, Calif., makes the Western blot kit. The CDC said it was asking BioRad to boost its production to head off a potential shortage. <br>
<br>
Another type of test, immunofluorescence assay, can be used to confirm blood and plasma tests that initially come back positive for HIV. The CDC is also asking the Austrian company that makes those tests to boost production.
