Validation of dried blood spot for serological diagnosis of Hepatitis B and C: a multicentric study

The present study aimed to determine diagnostic performance of dried blood spot (DBS) for the detection of Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and Hepatitis C virus antibodies (anti-HCV) using CLIA at 3 different laboratories across India. DBS can serve as a simple and convenient alternative to plasma/serum for HBsAg detection. However for anti-HCV, site-specific validation of the assay is warranted.

Automated summary

The present study aimed to determine the diagnostic performance of dried blood spot (DBS) for HBsAg and anti-HCV detection using CLIA in three different laboratories across India. DBS can be a simple and convenient alternative to plasma or serum for HBsAg detection, but site-specific validation of the assay is necessary for anti-HCV detection.