Dried blood spot specimens for SARS-CoV-2 antibody testing: A multi-site, multi-assay comparison
Cholette et al.
The finding, in our words
Three commercial and two in-house SARS-CoV-2 antibody assays achieved 100 per cent sensitivity and specificity on dried blood spot specimens, while several other commercial assays performed poorly with sensitivity below 40 per cent. This matters for decentralised diagnostics because it demonstrates that assay selection is critical when using self-collected DBS for sero-surveys in remote communities, providing a foundation for public health policy.
A paraphrase to the Library’s standard, never the abstract. The source is one link away and is always the authority.
The study validated a semi-quantitative protocol for Epstein-Barr virus serology using dried blood spots, demonstrating 98.8% sensitivity and 96.5% specificity compared to paired venous serum samples. The successful validation in a self-sampling cohort confirms the suitability of this patient-centric microsampling approach for large-scale seroprevalence studies and decentralised trials.
Capillary samples collected using dried blood spots and Mitra microsamplers showed strong agreement with venous plasma for quantifying IgG antibodies against most vaccine-preventable diseases. Sensitivity was high for the majority of pathogens, though the study noted that antibody stability declined at room temperature over time, favouring cold storage for longer durations.
Ombati et al., Scientific reports (paywalled) · source ↗
Task sharing dried blood spot collection for HIV viral load testing with community lay cadres achieved high diagnostic agreement with healthcare worker collections and was highly acceptable to patients. This approach offers a viable strategy to overcome healthcare worker shortages and support decentralised viral load monitoring in resource-limited settings.
Prust et al., PLOS global public health · source ↗
This review establishes that microsampling across blood, saliva, urine and stool matrices offers validated workflows and regulatory recognition for human biomonitoring comparable to conventional methods. It finds that these decentralised approaches enhance participant acceptability and enable screening in remote or low-resource settings.
The TaqPath kit performed well for HIV drug resistance testing from dried blood spots in samples with high viral loads, meeting WHO criteria for sensitivity and mutation detection, but showed reduced sensitivity at lower viral loads below 5000 copies/mL. This supports the use of DBS for decentralised HIV monitoring in resource-limited settings, though caution is needed when viral load is low.
Okafor et al., Journal of virological methods (paywalled) · source ↗