Detection of HIV-1 infection in dried blood spots from a 12-year-old ABO bedside test card

Background and Objectives: We tested dried blood from an ABO
bedside test card which had been stored at room temperature for 12
years, to prove that a patient with HIV-1 infection had been
infected by blood transfusion. Materials and Methods: Immunoblots
for HIV-1 antibodies and threefold PCRs with half-nested primers
for the HIV-1 integrase gene were done with eluates from the dried
blood spots. Results: HIV-1 antibodies and HIV-1 DNA could be
detected in the sample from one unit of blood, but not from the two
other units or from the recipient before transfusion. Conclusion:
Further studies should be done on the validity of stored dried
blood as an alternative to the storage of frozen donor serum for
several years for `look-back' studies.