Dried blood spots: An evaluation of utility in the field

Abstract Background Use of dried blood spots (DBS) offers advantages over serum samples in studies conducted in resource-poor settings. The aim of this study was to compare the number of adequate spots collected across different demographic groups. Methods Five DBS were collected from 3316 individuals aged 0–49 years in Tianjin, China for a measles antibody study; DBS were rated “adequate” or “inadequate.” Linear regression, with the number of adequate DBS on a card as the outcome variable, was used to test for predictors of DBS adequacy. Results There were 0 adequate DBS for 23% of participants and 5 adequate DBS for 24%. Mean number of adequate DBS was 1.68 in infants ( Conclusions DBS are an alternative for adults and children but pose challenges in infants, and improve with experience. In a resource-limited environment or in a scenario where more invasive techniques like venipuncture may be less accepted by the study population, DBS can be the preferred technique to efficiently obtain serum specimens for analyte testing.