Dried blood spots (DBS): a valuable tool for HIV surveillance in developing/tropical countries.
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.
Solomon
Sunil S
SS
Shri Ramachandra Medical College, Porur, Chennai, India.
Solomon
Suniti
S
Rodriguez
Irma I
II
McGarvey
Stephen T
ST
Ganesh
A K
AK
Thyagarajan
S P
SP
Mahajan
Anish P
AP
Mayer
Kenneth H
KH
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
D015483:HIV Antibodies