Emerging recommendations from federal regulators on HIV testing could prove a miniboon to the laboratory sector. Draft guidelines released by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommend every person in the United States between the ages of 15 and 65 be tested for the HIV virus at least once in their lifetime and that pregnant women unaware of their HIV status be tested even if they are in labor. More regular testing should also be undertaken by those at a higher risk of contracting the disease, regardless of their age, including gay and bisexual males, intravenous drug users, and those who live in poverty for prolonged periods of time, according to the guidelines. Officials with the USPSTF have indicated that automatic coverage for AIDS testing will likely be part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the bulk of which will be implemented in 2014. The guidelines come in the wake of the continued spread of HIV. As many as 50,000 new cases are diagnosed each year in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Another 1.2 million Americans already have HIV, and up to a quarter do not know they have it,…
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