‘Dried blood spot’ or DBS is an easy form of bio-sampling. Blood samples are obtained by pricking the heel or finger, blotted and dried on a filter paper. In DBS testing, dried samples are shipped to an analytical laboratory where the samples are then analyzed for specific analytes of interest.
This is a popular description of what DBS is about. However, there is much more you really need to know about the DBS tests, which over the years have significantly impacted a variety of fields of study including newborn screening, field testing, infectious diseases, environmental research, forensics, toxicology, to name a few.
The earliest reference to blood collected on a piece of paper can be seen in well-preserved Mayan murals of Bonampak, dated 780 AD where women can be seen pricking their tongues, lips and fingers and collecting drops of blood on paper that is then placed on container and burned to summon the gods. The modern version of blood collection on paper was popularized by Dr. Robert Guthrie in 1961 when he reported a method to measure phenylalanine to detect Phenylketonuria. The use of DBS testing has since evolved to cover hundreds of analytes. The number of DBS related papers published have exploded in recent years and since 2010 the number is more than 1200
Advantages of Dried Blood Spots (DBS) over Plasma and Serum
– Simpler, relatively painless and non- invasive sampling procedure
Few drops of capillary blood are collected by finger prick, a process which is relatively painless and minimally invasive, unlike venipuncture, which may be difficult in infants and the elderly. It is ideal for patients with damaged peripheral veins, example a person with a history of ‘Injecting Drug Usage’
– Ideal for Home sampling
No requirement of a trained Phlebotomist as the samples can be collected by the patients’ themselves. There is no need for centrifugation and separation of samples, making DBS particularly suitable for field applications with minimum requirement of laboratory-trained personnel.
– No need for maintaining a cold chain for transportation and storage of the samples
Most analytes in DBS are stable at room temperature for at least a week, thereby bypassing the need for maintaining a cold chain for transportation and storage of the samples
-Low infection Hazard
DBS represent low infection hazard and are considered exempt from dangerous goods regulations, as many viruses known to be present in serum or plasma lose infectivity as a consequence of disruption of their envelope on drying.
-Significant Cost-reduction
Cost reduction for tech time, sample collection, storage and transportation by DBS as compared to wet samples can be several folds.
The following table provides a comparison of various blood collection methods clearly showing the advantage of LipiDx DBS kits over the conventional methods of sampling
| Amino Acids Acylcarnitines | Amino Acid Profiles C3,C4,C5, C6, C8, C10, C14, C16 |
| Carotenoids(Antioxidants) | Lutein |
| Zeaxanthin | |
| Beta-Cryptoxanthin | |
| Alpha-carotene | |
| Beta-carotene | |
| Lycopene | |
| DNA (PCR):selected examples | hepatitis B virus |
| Human cytomegalovirus | |
| HIV-1 | |
| human T-lymphotropic virus | |
| Fatty Acids | Fatty Acid Profiles |
| Saturated Fatty Acids | |
| Mono unsaturated Fatty Acids | |
| Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids | |
| Trans Fatty Acids | |
| Specific antibodies, selected examples | adenovirus |
| arbovirus | |
| Aujeszky’s disease virus | |
| dengue virus | |
| enterovirus | |
| Helicobacter pylori | |
| hepatitus B virus | |
| herpes virus | |
| HIV-1 | |
| influenza virus | |
| Leishmania donovani | |
| leptospira | |
| measles/mumps/rubella | |
| Mycobacterium leprae | |
| Mycoplasma pneumoniae | |
| Onchocerca volvulus | |
| parainfluenza virus | |
| Plasmodium falciparum | |
| poliovirus | |
| Pseudomonas aeruginosa | |
| respiratory syncytial virus | |
| rickettsia (scrub typhus) | |
| Schistosoma mansoni | |
| Toxoplasma gondii | |
| Trepenomapallidium | |
| Trypanosoma cruzi/rangeli | |
| yellow fever virus | |
| Vitamins | Vitamin A |
| Vitamin B | |
| Vitamin D | |
| Vitamin E | |
| Vitamin K |
| DBS Collection Kit (50’s Test Single Use Pack) | ||
| Product Code | Particulars | Qty |
| ZB1522 | ZIPLOC BAG NGP 150*220mm | X 50 PCS |
| SGD001 | SILICA GEL DESICCANT 1G | X 150 PCS |
| DR0001 | DRYING RACK | X 1 PC |
| LT2MM0 | SINGLE USE LANCET 2MM BLADE | X 50 PCS |
| DBS050 | DBS SPECIMEN COLLECTION CARD CIRCLE PRE-CUT | X 50 PCS |
| PFG100 | POWDER FREE EXAMINATION GLOVES MEDIUM | X 100 PCS |
| IM0001 | DBS INSTRUCTION MANUAL | X 1 PCS |
| ASW050 | ALCOHOL SWAB | X 50 PCS |
| CG0050 | GAUZE SWAB 8 PLY | X 50 PCS |
| COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: INDIA | ||
| DRY AMBIENT STORAGE CONDITIONS | ||
| Customisable as per customers requirement | ||
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