Field evaluation of HIV-1 viral load monitoring in adults and children receiving antiretroviral treatment in Nigeria by dried blood spot testing with RealTime HIV-1 on m2000.

In resource-limited settings, use of dried blood spots (DBS) could be a pragmatic alternative to plasma for VL monitoring in people living with HIV (PLWH). We compared results from DBS to standard plasma VL testing under field conditions in patients receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART). DBS cards were prepared from venous blood (V-DBS), finger-pricks using micro-capillary tubes (M-DBS), and direct spotting (D-DBS).