2026 · Biopsychosocial science and medicine · paywalled
The Association Between Cytomegalovirus Infection and Daily Stress Processes in Early Adulthood
Gloger et al.
The finding, in our words
The study measured CMV IgG from finger stick dried blood spots in 108 young adults and found that CMV serostatus and antibody levels interacted with motivational traits to influence daily stress exposure and severity. This demonstrates the feasibility of using capillary blood microsampling for serological research in decentralised settings, enabling infectious disease monitoring outside traditional clinical environments.
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 ↗
This pilot study found that while initial household enrolment was low at 9%, remote follow-up was highly feasible, with 88% of respondents, 151 of 172, successfully returning self-collected capillary blood samples after 12 months. This shows that decentralised microsampling is viable for household cohorts when face-to-face contact is restricted.
A 2025 review maps 28 microsampling devices, from dried spots and volumetric absorptive tips to upper-arm liquid capillary collectors, and names what a laboratory must control before their results are used: the haematocrit effect in non-volumetric dried samples, interstitial fluid from finger milking, volume, haemolysis and transport stability. Regulators on both sides of the Atlantic ask for the same two things, a device the patient can use safely and a sample fit for the test.
The authors observe that self-sampling devices for capillary blood are gaining traction as a patient-preferred alternative to venous collection, with one centre reporting a 15 percent reduction in laboratory test volumes when local collection was offered. They argue that successful integration into total laboratory automation requires addressing cost, transport regulations and sample volume adequacy while ensuring robust device design and seamless workflow compatibility.
Poland & Cobbaert, Clinical chemistry and laboratory medicine (paywalled) · source ↗