Validation of dried blood spots for capturing hepatitis C virus diversity for genomic surveillance
Author Department
Medicine
Document Type
Article, Peer-reviewed
Publication Date
2-2024
Abstract
Dried blood spots (DBS) have emerged as a promising alternative to traditional venous blood for hepatitis C virus (HCV) testing. However, their capacity to accurately reflect the genetic diversity of HCV remains poorly understood. We employed deep sequencing and advanced phylogenetic analyses on paired plasma and DBS samples from two common subtypes to evaluate the suitability of DBS for genomic surveillance. Results demonstrated that DBS captured equivalent viral diversity compared to plasma with no phylogenetic discordance observed. The ability of DBS to accurately reflect the profile of viral genetic diversity suggests it may be a promising avenue for future surveillance efforts to curb HCV outbreaks.
Keywords: DBS; HCV; genetic diversity; molecular epidemiology; phylogenetic.
Recommended Citation
Tully DC, Power KA, Sarette J, Stopka TJ, Friedmann PD, Korthuis PT, Cooper H, Young AM, Seal DW, Westergaard RP, Allen TM. Validation of dried blood spots for capturing hepatitis C virus diversity for genomic surveillance. J Viral Hepat. 2024 Feb 16. doi: 10.1111/jvh.13924. Epub ahead of print.
PMID
38366329