title: Hepatitis B virus DNA stability in plasma samples under short-term storage at 42°C.
abstract: We evaluated the stability of hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA in plasma samples stored at 42°C for external quality assessment (EQA) panels of viral load. To assess the stability of plasma samples containing different concentrations of HBV DNA, serial dilutions of HBV-infected samples with a viral load of 6.40 log(10) IU/mL were made to yield viral loads of 5, 4, and 3 log(10) IU/mL. These were incubated at 42°C for up to 7 days and then frozen at -70°C. Viral load testing for HBV DNA was performed for all samples using COBAS® AmpliPrep/COBAS® TaqMan® HBV Test (v.2.0, Roche, Switzerland). Results were compared with fresh frozen plasma samples as a benchmark to establish acceptable measurements on the days following sample collection. Although the results of this study demonstrated a decrease in HBV DNA viral load ranging from 0.005 to 0.30 log(10) IU/mL after storage at 42°C for up to 7 days, these values did not exceed 0.5 log(10), which is the estimated intra-assay variation for molecular tests. Thus, the insignificant decrease in viral load suggests that shipment of HBV in plasma samples at temperatures of up to 42°C is permissible if they are frozen within 7 days.
authors: Laboratório de Hepatites Virais, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.
authors: R W de
authors: RW
authors: Almeida
authors: Laboratório de Hepatites Virais, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.
authors: M P
authors: MP
authors: Espírito-Santo
authors: Laboratório de Hepatites Virais, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.
authors: P S F
authors: PS
authors: Sousa
authors: Laboratório de Hepatites Virais, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.
authors: A J de
authors: AJ
authors: Almeida
authors: Laboratório de Hepatites Virais, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.
authors: E
authors: E
authors: Lampe
authors: Laboratório de Hepatites Virais, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.
authors: L L
authors: LL
authors: Lewis-Ximenez
mesh_terms: D003080:Cold Temperature; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000097:blood* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006358:Hot Temperature; D006801:Humans; D010949:Plasma / Q000821:virology*; D011786:Quality Control; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012016:Reference Values; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D013048:Specimen Handling / Q000379:methods; D013997:Time Factors; D019562:Viral Load / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral