Validation of Trypanosoma cruzi inactivation techniques for laboratory use
MacLean et al.
The finding, in our words
Three freeze-thaw cycles, Virkon disinfectant, and air drying on Mitra microsamplers for two hours each inactivated Trypanosoma cruzi in spiked blood, while FTA C cards failed. These validated methods permit safe removal of infectious samples from containment facilities for storage and analysis, supporting decentralised diagnostics.
A paraphrase to the Library’s standard, never the abstract. The source is one link away and is always the authority.
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 ↗
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 ↗
In participants 11 months after SARS-CoV-2 infection, the nano-immunoassay achieved 98.33% sensitivity and 97.62% specificity on venous serum. When combined with dried capillary microsampling, sensitivity was 95.05% with Mitra, 61.11% with repurposed glucose strips and 83.16% with HemaXis (91.49% after automated extraction), with no loss of specificity, supporting home-based sampling for serology.
This review found that decentralised, patient-centric home microsampling using Mitra devices is an effective alternative for COVID-19 serosurveillance and clinical trials, enabling high-quality self-collection without clinic visits.
Capillary blood collected by fingerstick with the Mitra volumetric absorptive microsampling device showed near identical sensitivity and specificity for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies compared with venous serum when analysed with the Roche Elecsys assay. This validation enables decentralised, patient-centric serology testing for remote or at-home use and large-scale community seroprevalence studies.
Garcia-Beltran et al., Archives of pathology & laboratory medicine (paywalled) · source ↗