Clinical evaluation of patterned dried plasma spot cards to support quantification of HIV viral load and reflexive genotyping.

Quantifying viral load, a key indicator required to achieve control and elimination of the HIV epidemic, requires cell-free plasma or serum to ensure measurements are not biased by proviral DNA contained in infected CD4 T lymphocytes. Plasma separation cards (PSC) collect and preserve a dried specimen, which makes them practical solutions for decentralized sample collection and transport in limited-resource settings. However, physiological variations in hematocrit levels can introduce significant variability in the quality of plasma generated by commercial PSCs and can lead to inaccurate test results and clinical decisions.

Advancing HIV Drug Resistance Technologies and Strategies: Insights from South Africa's Experience and Future Directions for Resource-Limited Settings.

Monitoring of HIV drug resistance (HIVDR) remains critical for ensuring countries attain and sustain the global goals for ending HIV as a public health threat by 2030. On an individual patient level, drug resistance results assist in ensuring unnecessary treatment switches are avoided and subsequent regimens are tailored on a case-by-case basis, should resistance be detected. Although there is a disparity in access to HIVDR testing in high-income countries compared to low- and middle-income countries (LMICS), more LMICs have now included HIVDR testing for individual patient management in some groups of patients.