Hepatitis B virus DNA stability in plasma samples under short-term storage at 42°C

We evaluated the stability of hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA in plasma samples stored at 42°C for external quality assessment (EQA) panels of viral load. To assess the stability of plasma samples containing different concentrations of HBV DNA, serial dilutions of HBV-infected samples with a viral load of 6.40 log(10) IU/mL were made to yield viral loads of 5, 4, and 3 log(10) IU/mL. These were incubated at 42°C for up to 7 days and then frozen at -70°C. Viral load testing for HBV DNA was performed for all samples using COBAS® AmpliPrep/COBAS® TaqMan® HBV Test (v.2.0, Roche, Switzerland). Results were compared with fresh frozen plasma samples as a benchmark to establish acceptable measurements on the days following sample collection. Although the results of this study demonstrated a decrease in HBV DNA viral load ranging from 0.005 to 0.30 log(10) IU/mL after storage at 42°C for up to 7 days, these values did not exceed 0.5 log(10), which is the estimated intra-assay variation for molecular tests. Thus, the insignificant decrease in viral load suggests that shipment of HBV in plasma samples at temperatures of up to 42°C is permissible if they are frozen within 7 days.