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APHSS Clarifies Adult Industry Standards for HIV, Syphilis
Posted On 05 Sep 2012
YNOT – Following the recent outbreak of syphilis among adult performers in both the U.S. and Europe, Adult Production Health & Safety Services noticed significant confusion within the industry about recommended protocols for exposure incidents.
On Tuesday, the organization issued a statement clarifying its position about sexually transmitted infections, specifically syphilis and HIV, along with a rationale for APHSS’s recommendation of monthly evaluation using the Trep-Sure syphilis test.
The statement is reprinted below. More information is available on the organization’s website, APHSS.org.
[INDENT]To stem the spread of misinformation, APHSS.org has issued the following comments to clarify the choice of the Trep-Sure syphilis test, with a brief explanation of industry testing for HIV. APHSS recently began requiring the Aptima HIV-1RNA Qualitative Assay test as the standard for performers.
In an effort to provide the best and the latest in sexually transmitted infection screening for performers, our industry standards often exceed the basic requirements of the Centers for Disease Control. A perfect example of this is the CDC’s support of the Rapid Test and even home test kits for HIV. Rather than focus on specific brands of tests, the CDC emphasizes the importance of testing that identifies infections in individuals who are unaware of infection and may have been infected for some length of time. Adult performers are the most tested population for STIs in the country, and so they do not fall into this category.
It is for that reason that the type of test included in industry protocol often differs from the CDC’s standard. For example, the CDC recognizes the Elisa/Western Blot as a standard for HIV and supports the Rapid test. Both tests have a three-month window and, therefore, are not effective for adult performer testing protocols because they will not detect acute (recent) infections. For that reason, our industry has selected the Aptima HIV-1. The Aptima test has a nine- to 11-day window as opposed to the ELISA/Western Blot and Rapid test window period of three months. While there were other tests that could identify the presence of HIV within a nine- to 11-day window, the industry selected this particular test because it is FDA-approved for diagnosis of acute infection.
So it is with the new industry standard for syphilis. While the CDC recognizes the RPR as a standard for testing of the mainstream population, the RPR test has a three-month window period and does not detect acute infections. Therefore, as with HIV, our industry sought out a superior testing alternative. While there are other tests that have window periods less than three month, APHSS chose the newly released Trep-Sure test because it has a 14-day window, a high level of sensitivity and specificity [I]and it is FDA approved for diagnosis. This test has been added to all panels for APHSS providers and is now the APHSS industry standard for syphilis testing.
The Trep-Sure test is available through APHSS.org at these testing facilities: SameDayTest.com, STDStatus.com and Cutting Edge Testing locations in Los Angeles and Fort Lauderdale. Trep-Sure tests will be added to the monthly testing protocol for all adult performers, effective immediately.
If you would like more information about performer testing or the APHSS.org program, please email Joanne Cachapero or call 818-348-9373.[/I][/INDENT]
