New "toaster size" AIDS test to speed diagnosis

Scientists at the University of Texas have developed a mobile HIV testing laboratory that experts say should speed up diagnosis and treatment of AIDS in remote regions of the world.

The device, smaller than a toaster, measures the level of patients' immune system CD4 cells within 15 minutes and works on rechargeable batteries.

It was unveiled for the first time at the 15th International AIDS Conference in Bangkok this week.

"Essentially it's a digital reader device. A very small, miniaturised laboratory," Richard Hawkins, head of LabNow Inc., the company created to manufacture and sell the product, told Reuters Television.

Hawkins said the machine would be priced at less than $1,000, with each test costing under $5.

Knowing patients' CD4 cell count is essential for doctors to determine when to start treatment and to monitor their progress on antiretroviral therapy.

Many doctors treating patients in rural areas of developing nations wait weeks, if not months, for results of blood tests - by which time the patient's health may have deteriorated rapidly.

The ability to use the new lightweight device in the field could improve this dramatically. CD4 monitoring now requires machines the size of refrigerators that can cost more than $75,000.

One of India's foremost AIDS workers, Dr Suniti Solomon, - credited with documenting India's first AIDS case - was enthusiastic about its potential.

"This would be a great boon for a country like ours," she said.