Usefulness of automated assays for detecting hepatitis B and C markers in dried blood spot samples
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Updated: Jan 20, 2026

Dried Blood Spots - Preparing and Processing for Use in Immunoassays and in Molecular Techniques
Published on: March 13, 2015
Livia Melo Villar1, Helena Medina Cruz2, Raissa Martins Deodato2
1Viral Hepatitis Laboratory, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, FIOCRUZ, Hélio and Peggy Pereira Pavilion - Ground Floor - Office B09, FIOCRUZ Av. Brasil, 4365 - Manguinhos, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 210360-040, Brazil. lvillar@ioc.fiocruz.br.
Objective:
Dried blood spots (DBSs) can be used as an alternative to serum samples because they are easily collected and can be transported without refrigeration to reference laboratories for diagnosis. The present study was performed to evaluate the utility of electrochemiluminescence immunoassay "ECLIA" for anti-HCV, HBsAg and anti-HBc detection from DBS samples.
Results:
Anti-HCV was detected in 103 DBS samples from 108 paired, positive serum and undetected in 364 DBS samples from 366 paired, negative specimens, giving a sensitivity of 95.4% and a specificity of 99.4%. HBsAg was detected in 67 DBS samples out of 71 positive, paired serum and was undetected among 295 DBS samples from 298 paired, negative specimens, giving a sensitivity and specificity of 94.4% and 99%, respectively. Anti-HBc was detected in 160 DBS samples from 185 paired, positive serum specimens and undetected in 349 DBS samples from 357 paired, negative serum specimens, giving a sensitivity of 86.5% and a specificity of 97.8%. Overall, the Kappa index indicated a high agreement between results obtained for the serum and DBS samples (k: 0.95, 0.93 and 0.86 for anti-HCV, HBsAg, anti-HBc, respectively). In conclusion, the ECLIA test could be used for detecting hepatitis B and C markers in DBS.
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