title: Dried blood spots (DBS): a valuable tool for HIV surveillance in developing/tropical countries.
abstract: Dried blood spots (DBS) on filter paper have been used as a practical method of sample collection in sero-surveillance studies of numerous diseases. DBS may be particularly useful for HIV screening in remote areas, in which unrefrigerated transfer time to a laboratory may take a number of days. In this study, we evaluate the ability to detect human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) type-1 antibodies from DBS that have been subjected to a tropical climate in southern India for 6 days. DBS were prepared from blood samples of 59 known HIV-positive individuals and 30 known HIV-negative individuals. ELISA and Western blot results from DBS that were subjected to a mean temperature of 35.8 degrees C and humidity of 73% for 6 days had a sensitivity of 100% and 92%, respectively, and a specificity of 100% and 100%, respectively. Based on these findings, we conclude that DBS sampling could serve as a cost-effective and convenient tool for widespread HIV sero-surveillance in remote areas within tropical countries.
authors.affiliation: Shri Ramachandra Medical College, Porur, Chennai, India.
authors.forename: Sunil S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Solomon
authors.forename: Suniti
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Solomon
authors.forename: Irma I
authors.initials: II
authors.lastname: Rodriguez
authors.forename: Stephen T
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: McGarvey
authors.forename: A K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Ganesh
authors.forename: S P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Thyagarajan
authors.forename: Anish P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Mahajan
authors.forename: Kenneth H
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Mayer
mesh_terms: D015492:AIDS Serodiagnosis / Q000379:methods*; D001800:Blood Specimen Collection; D015153:Blotting, Western; D003906:Developing Countries; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D015483:HIV Antibodies / Q000097:blood*; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis*; D015497:HIV-1; D006801:Humans; D007194:India; D011159:Population Surveillance; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013997:Time Factors; D014329:Tropical Climate
chemical_list: D015483:HIV Antibodies