Detection of viral DNA in dried blood spots using the Guthrie card (DBS test) is a reliable and practical method of diagnosing congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection.
A test based on viral DNA extraction from neonatal dried blood spots on Guthrie cards and its amplification by means of a nested PCR (DBS test) seems to offer the best characteristics for use in screening.
Dried spots on filter paper made of whole blood (dried blood spots; DBS), plasma (dried plasma spots; DPS) or serum (dried serum spots) hold promise as an affordable and practical alternative specimen source to liquid plasma for HIV type-1 (HIV-1) viral load determination and drug resistance genotyping in the context of the rapidly expanding access to antiretroviral therapy (ART) for HIV-1-infected individuals in low- and middle-income countries.
Resultant dried blood spots may be employed for DNA extraction using a variety of technologies for nucleic acid amplification without the need for repeated cleaning of scissors or punches to prevent cross contamination of samples and results are comparable to traditional DBS.
Quantification methods were developed and validated using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry to analyze albendazole and its metabolites albendazole sulfoxide and albendazole sulfone in wet samples (plasma and blood) and blood microsamples (dried-blood spots [DBS]; Mitra).