title: Detection of HIV-1 antibodies in blood specimens spotted on filter-paper.
abstract: Described are the results of an international collaborative study to evaluate the use of whole blood samples spotted on filter-paper (BSP) for the detection of antibodies to human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1). BSP samples were collected from 40 patients at risk for HIV-1 infection and tested blindly using commercially available HIV antibody test kits, either specifically manufactured or modified for this purpose. Parallel serum samples were also collected, and the antibody reactivity was defined and confirmed by Western blot. The results demonstrate that recovery of antibodies from BSP samples after elution can be comparable to that from serum. Some kits can be easily adapted to test BSP samples, while others cannot. At present, detection of HIV antibodies in BSP samples should therefore be carried out using kits specifically manufactured for this purpose or by the development of a modified protocol using a panel of BSP and their corresponding serum specimens.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Human Retrovirology, Institute of Microbiology, School of Medicine, Genoa, Italy.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Lillo
authors.forename: O E
authors.initials: OE
authors.lastname: Varnier
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Mantia
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Terragna
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: van der Groen
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Van Kerckhoven
authors.forename: P P
authors.initials: PP
authors.lastname: Mortimer
authors.forename: J V
authors.initials: JV
authors.lastname: Parry
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bayliss
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tamashiro
mesh_terms: D015492:AIDS Serodiagnosis / Q000379:methods*; D001800:Blood Specimen Collection / Q000379:methods*; D015153:Blotting, Western; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D006801:Humans; D011933:Reagent Kits, Diagnostic
chemical_list: D011933:Reagent Kits, Diagnostic