Oxford University Press (OUP), Clinical Infectious Diseases, suppl 4(54), p. S273-S279
DOI: 10.1093/cid/cir982
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Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't ; Evaluation Studies ; Journal Article ; Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural ; In resource-limited settings, there is increased demand for human immunodeficiency virus type 1 drug resistance testing. Because preservation of plasma specimens is often not feasible in resource-limited settings, use of dried blood spots (DBSs) is being adopted. We used 2 panels of DBSs for genotyping assay validation and proficiency testing in selected laboratories in the World Health Organization laboratory network in 14 countries. An amplification sensitivity of 1000 copies/mL was achieved by 2 laboratories. Reproducibility and accuracy of nucleotide sequence determination and resistance-associated mutation identification from DBSs was similar to that previously determined for plasma. International shipping at ambient temperature had no significant effect on amplification success. These studies indicate that DBS-based genotyping is equally reproducible and reliable, although slightly less sensitive, compared with plasma.