Background: Dried blood spots (DBS) provide a convenient method for blood sample collection in many settings where the prevalence of infection with hepatitis C virus (HCV) is increasing. Consequently, HCV assays are required that produce reliable results using samples derived from DBS.
Objectives and study design: The optimum buffer for the elution of samples from DBS was selected and the performance of a commercial enzyme immunoassay (EIA) was evaluated using these DBS eluates and paired plasma samples.
Results: DBS with paired plasma samples were compared using this modified commercial EIA, which was found to have an estimated sensitivity and specificity of approximately 100% for detecting anti-HCV antibodies in DBS.
Conclusion: A DBS-based assay for the detection of antibodies to HCV will prove valuable for collecting epidemiological data in the field or in under resourced settings.