Comparison of HIV-1 RNA level estimated with plasma and DBS samples: A pilot study from India (South)

PURPOSE: The use of dried blood spots (DBS) for HIV-1 viral load determination could greatly enhance the management of HIV infected individuals in resource-limited countries. OBJECTIVE: To compare the HIV-1 viral load values obtained between parallel collected plasma and DBS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: DBS and plasma samples were collected from 62 HIV-1 infected individuals and were used for determination of HIV-1 RNA concentrations using the Abbot real-time HIV-1 PCR. RESULT: Mean of the log difference of viral load values between plasma and DBS was -0.41 log. DBS viral load values significantly correlated with plasma viral load (r = 0.9818, P < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: These results suggest that DBS samples can be used as an alternative to plasma for the estimation of HIV-1 viral load if samples are appropriately stored.