Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Denmark study finds how a drop of blood can detect HIV, hepatitis B, hepatitis C

At the European Conference of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases (ECCMID) this year in Copenhagen, Denmark, data on a test that may detect HIV, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C from a single drop of blood are being presented.

Hepatitis B or C claim the lives of over a million people each year. Every year, 1.5 million individuals contract HIV, and 650,000 people pass away from HIV-related causes.


The World Health Organisation has made the elimination of all three viruses by 2030 one of its global health strategies but new tests are necessary if case numbers are to be reduced.

The most common test for hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV involves taking a blood sample from a vein using a needle. While this method works extremely well, there is a potentially large reservoir of the three conditions in places where this method is not suitable.

This could be prisons, drug rehabilitation centres and homeless shelters, where the taking of venous blood samples isn't always suitable or countries in which the shipping and refrigerated storage of blood samples can be challenging.

Alternatives include dried blood spot tests, in which a single spot of blood is tested for nucleic acid from the three viruses.

Stephen Nilsson-Moller and colleagues at the Department of Clinical Microbiology, Copenhagen University Hospital, Denmark validated one such test.

To do the test, the individual's finger is pricked and a few spots of blood collected on filter paper and allowed to dry.

The Hologic Panther System - testing equipment widely found in public health laboratories - then uses a technique called transcription mediated amplification to analyse one of the blood spots for genetic material from the three viruses.

The analysis is designed to be, and is normally, run on liquid samples of plasma or serum - not the dried samples used here.

Twenty samples with known amounts of HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C were analysed via the dried blood spot method (60 in total) and the viruses were detected in all of the samples.

The plasma was also diluted to determine the lower limit of detection. This showed that it was possible to detect the viruses at levels that are much lower than are normally found in untreated patients.

Nilsson-Moller says: "We've shown that using existing hospital equipment, it is possible to detect HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C from a single drop of blood.

"The dried blood spot test is ideal for places where you don't want to use a needle for safety reasons or where it is less practical. This includes prisons, drug rehabilitation centres and homeless shelters.

"It is also suitable for developing countries or places where you run the risk of a blood sample being ruined before it is transferred to a laboratory that can analyse it.

"Blood samples need to be analysed within six hours when kept at room temperature, while dried blood spots can last for nine months without refrigeration."

More For You

Pharmacy owners to receive 19p SAF increase in advance payments for April and May 2025

The Single Activity Fee (SAF) was increased by 19p to £1.46 per item, effective from April 2024.

gettyimages

19p SAF increase to be included in April and May 2025 advance payments

Following discussions with the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), Community Pharmacy England (CPE) has agreed a mechanism that will allow pharmacy owners to receive the 19p increase to the Single Activity Fee (SAF) earlier for the dispensing months of April and May 2025.

CPE said: “The advance payments for these dispensing months will be adjusted to incorporate the uplift to the SAF. No adjustment to advance payments will be required from the June 2025 dispensing month onwards.”

Keep ReadingShow less
CPE invites pharmacy owners to share their views on new CPCF funding settlement

What do you think should be the next priority for the Government?

gettyimages

Pharmacy owners asked to share their views on new CPCF arrangements

Community Pharmacy England (CPE) is urging pharmacy owners to share their views on the new Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework (CPCF) funding settlement ahead of its next full Committee meeting, scheduled for 30 April–1 May.

The Committee said it had agreed to the settlement "reluctantly," acknowledging that it represents a significant shift after years of real-terms funding cuts, while admitting that it’s “still not sufficient to match the continued scale of pressures facing pharmacy businesses.”

Keep ReadingShow less
Homecare medicines services face many challenges beyond pharmacy's control

Homecare medicines services face many challenges beyond pharmacy's control

gettyimages

GPhC calls for industry-wide collaboration to strengthen homecare medicines services

The General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) has called for industry-wide collaboration to improve homecare medicines services to ensure patients always receive their medicines when needed.

The call follows a recent review by the regulator, which identified several challenges facing homecare services, many of which were beyond the immediate control of the pharmacies providing them.

Keep ReadingShow less
Lack of funding deters NI pharmacy contractors from expanding portfolio

W G Hamilton Pharmacy is the third pharmacy in Northern Ireland to be recently sold to first-time buyers.

Pharmacy ownership trends shift in Northern Ireland due to funding gap

An increasing number of pharmacies in Northern Ireland are being acquired by first-time buyers, as existing contractors and groups pull back from expanding their portfolios amid ongoing funding pressures, according to specialist business property adviser Christie & Co.

Among the most recent sales is W G Hamilton Pharmacy, a busy community pharmacy in Ballysillan, North Belfast.

Keep ReadingShow less
RPS backs Pharmacist Support "Gift in Wills" initiative

The ‘Gift in Wills’ initiative is delivered in partnership with Bequeathed.

Photo credit: gettyimages

Leave a legacy: RPS partners with Pharmacist Support to promote ‘Gift in Wills’

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) has announced its support for the ‘Gift in Wills’ initiative run by Pharmacist Support, coinciding with the charity’s birthday celebrations today (Tuesday 15 April).

This collaboration allows RPS members to create a free will while also helping to safeguard the future of vital support services for the pharmacy profession.

Keep ReadingShow less