Comparison of dried blood spot (DBS) and plasma HIV-1 viral load measurements using Roche COBAS AmpliPrep/COBAS TaqMan assay, Northwest Ethiopia

The findings of the current study suggested that DBS samples could be considered as an alternative approach for periodic monitoring of HIV-1 viral loads to scale-up the HIV diagnosis and treatment coverage, particularly in areas with limited laboratory settings due to minimal invasive blood collection, higher stability at room temperature or ease of transportation, and decentralized sample collection approaches.