Sensitivity and specificity of Dried Blood Spot and Plasma Separation Card samples for Hepatitis C Virus RNA Testing

Although the use of point-of-care rapid antibody tests for hepatitis C virus (HCV) is increasing, people who test positive must still undergo a confirmatory test before receiving treatment. Confirmatory testing for HCV RNA can be performed using plasma, serum, or capillary whole blood, depending on the available diagnostic platforms and testing algorithms. Plasma samples are more commonly used; however, their collection, storage, transport, and handling can pose significant challenges in low-resource settings. To improve access to HCV testing, there is a need for alternative sample types. Blood samples dried on filter paper cards (dried blood spots, or DBS) can be collected at the community level, have low biohazard risk, can withstand exposure to ambient temperatures, and are easily stored and shipped. Plasma Separation Cards (PSC), which collect plasma rather than whole blood, have similar properties. This study demonstrated that the diagnostic accuracy of DBS and PSC for detecting HCV RNA using the Roche cobas 4800 and 6800 platforms was high, confirming that they could be viable alternatives to plasma sampling for HCV testing.