title: Stability of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 antibodies in whole blood dried on filter paper and stored under various tropical conditions in Kinshasa, Zaire.
abstract: The use of whole-blood spots on filter paper for the detection of antibody to human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) was evaluated during a 20-week period under a variety of storage environments simulating the harsh tropical field conditions in Kinshasa, Zaire. During the first 6 weeks of storage, all replicates of high- and low-titer HIV-1-positive reference samples remained positive by enzyme immunoassay and Western blotting (immunoblotting), and all replicates of HIV-1-negative samples remained negative under all storage conditions. However, hot and humid storage conditions for up to 20 weeks caused a progressive decline in enzyme immunoassay optical density ratio values, which was particularly noticeable in samples with a low HIV-1 antibody titer. Harsh tropical operational conditions did not cause any repeatedly false-positive results during the 20-week storage period. The use of gas-impermeable bags with desiccant for the storage of blood spots on filter paper improved the stability of HIV-1 antibody detection over time and is recommended for the storage of whole-blood spots on filter paper in harsh tropical field settings.
authors.affiliation: Projet SIDA, Kinshasa, Zaire.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Behets
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kashamuka
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pappaioanou
authors.forename: T A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Green
authors.forename: R W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Ryder
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Batter
authors.forename: J R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: George
authors.forename: W H
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Hannon
authors.forename: T C
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Quinn
mesh_terms: D015023:Democratic Republic of the Congo; D005374:Filtration; D015483:HIV Antibodies / Q000032:analysis*; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D013048:Specimen Handling; D013696:Temperature; D014329:Tropical Climate
chemical_list: D015483:HIV Antibodies