title: Whole blood versus plasma spots for measurement of HIV-1 viral load in HIV-infected African patients.
abstract: The increasing availability of antiretroviral drugs to HIV-infected populations in developing countries highlights the need to develop field-friendly practical methods for HIV-1 viral load measurements to monitor the effects of treatment. We compared use of whole-blood spots versus plasma dried on filter paper to quantify HIV-1 viral load in 51 African patients with HIV-1. The mean log10 HIV-1 viral loads were 4.22 for dried plasma spots (DPS) and 4.20 for dried whole-blood spots (DBS). The difference between the pairs of log10 viral load for DPS and DBS were significantly correlated with their mean (Spearman's r=0.31, p=0.03). This correlation between the difference and mean of viral load was no longer evident for values of log10 DPS that were less than 5 (r=0.01, p=0.93). For the 38 paired values with log10DPS of less than 5, the mean difference (log10DPS-log10DBS) was -0.04 (SD 0.29). Dried whole blood stored on filter paper at room temperature shows potential as a field-friendly alternative to plasma for measurement of HIV-1 viral load.
authors.affiliation: University of Zambia-University College London Medical School (UNZA-UCLMS) Research and Training Project, University Teaching Hospital, Lusaka, Zambia. pbmwaba2000@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mwaba
authors.forename: Sharon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cassol
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nunn
authors.forename: Rick
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Pilon
authors.forename: Chifumbe
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Chintu
authors.forename: Michelle
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Janes
authors.forename: Alimuddin
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zumla
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001769:Blood / Q000821:virology; D001800:Blood Specimen Collection / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000097:blood* / Q000821:virology; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006801:Humans; D021141:Nucleic Acid Amplification Techniques; D010949:Plasma / Q000821:virology; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000097:blood; D019562:Viral Load / Q000379:methods*; D014766:Viremia / Q000097:blood; D015024:Zambia
chemical_list: D012367:RNA, Viral