A dried blood spot test can be used to detect HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C in a single drop of blood, researchers reported at the European Congress of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases.
The process, which uses commercial technology already available in many hospitals, can cut down on the need to refrigerate blood samples and time to get test results back, the researchers said.
“The motivation to develop this method was to have a more practical and safer method to screen in high-risk settings such as prisons, rehabilitation centers and homeless shelters,” Stephen