title: [Feasibility of using dried blood spots to detect HIV drug resistance genotyping].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study aimed at exploring the feasibility of using dried blood spots (DBS) to detect HIV drug resistance genotyping in China by comparing the results of drug resistance from DBS, plasma and whole blood samples.
  
  
  METHODS
  Blood samples were collected from 39 AIDS patients from Anhui (10), Yunnan (13), Hunan (6) and Xinjiang (10) provinces and autonomous regions. The HIV strains that infected these patients covered all the major HIV-1 subtypes prevailing in China (B, CRF01_AE, CRF07_BC). HIV drug resistance genotyping assay was performed on DBS as well as on the whole blood and plasma samples from the same patients simultaneously by using an in-house nest RT-PCR method. Drug resistance levels were determined based on Stanford University HIV drug resistance database, and the results from these three types of samples were compared.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The percentages of successful amplification of protease and reverse transcriptase regions in the pol gene were 95% (37/39) from DBS, 92% (36/39) from whole blood and 100% (39/39) from plasma samples. The sequences from the three types of samples showed more than 99% identity.86% (31/36) of the DBS samples had the same set of drug resistance mutations as those which were detected from plasma samples. The differences probably resulted from mixed bases.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There was no major difference in detecting HIV drug resistance genotyping among DBS, plasma and whole blood samples. Therefore, DBS is useful for detection of HIV drug resistance genotyping and is particularly valuable in developing countries like China, especially in remote rural regions.
authors.affiliation: National Center for AIDS/STD Control and Prevention Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Peng-fei
authors.initials: PF
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.forename: Hui
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Xing
authors.forename: Ling-jie
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Liao
authors.forename: Bin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Quan-bi
authors.initials: QB
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Yu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Quan
authors.forename: Feng
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Shao-min
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Bin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Su
authors.forename: Xi
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Yi-ming
authors.initials: YM
authors.lastname: Shao
mesh_terms: D059788:Dried Blood Spot Testing; D024882:Drug Resistance, Viral / Q000235:genetics*; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005838:Genotype; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000097:blood* / Q000235:genetics / Q000821:virology; D006679:HIV Seropositivity / Q000097:blood* / Q000235:genetics / Q000821:virology; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D019562:Viral Load