Utility of the Cobas<sup>®</sup> Plasma Separation Card as a Sample Collection Device for Serological and Virological Diagnosis of Hepatitis C Virus Infection
Velásquez-Orozco et al.
The finding, in our words
Dried plasma spots prepared with the Cobas Plasma Separation Card showed comparable detection of HCV antibodies and RNA to conventional plasma and serum, but with higher limits of detection, supporting their use as a decentralised sample type while acknowledging reduced sensitivity at low viral loads.
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 ↗
Plasma separation cards demonstrated 95 percent amplification success and 98.5 percent nucleotide similarity with plasma, with 94.6 percent concordance for major HIV drug-resistance mutations. The cards provide a viable alternative specimen type for resistance testing in remote or resource-limited settings, enabling decentralised surveillance and clinical care.
Pham et al., The Journal of antimicrobial chemotherapy · source ↗
Dried blood spot testing achieved high diagnostic accuracy for hepatitis B surface antigen (sensitivity 94.3%, specificity 98.8%), supporting its use in decentralised screening and resource-limited settings. However, sensitivity was lower for anti-HBc (83.6%) and HBV DNA (86.9%) tests, though specificity remained high for both, indicating need for further standardisation.
Wang et al., Clinical chemistry and laboratory medicine (paywalled) · source ↗
The study found very strong correlation between venous blood collection and capillary VAMS using Mitra devices for detecting SARS-CoV-2 spike antibodies, with samples remaining stable at room temperature for several months. This enables reliable at-home, patient-centric serological testing for large-scale community surveillance and vaccine studies.
Mayer et al., Journal of immunological methods (paywalled) · source ↗