HARRINGTON E, MEYER W, WARDZALA L, LEWINSKI M; Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy.

Abstr Intersci Conf Antimicrob Agents Chemother Intersci Conf Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 1999 Sep 26-29; 39: 229 (abstract no. 1580).

Quest Diagnostics Inc., San Juan Capistrano, CA

VACUTAINER[[TM]] PPT[TM] tubes collected from 29 informed and consenting HIV positive patients were shipped and stored at three different temperatures (ambient, refrigerated, frozen) to determine the effect of temperature on the stability of HIV-1 RNA. Viral loads were determined using the Roche Amplicor HIV Monitor[TM] Test Kit supplemented with a home brew ultrasensitive assay, and the values were compared using one-way analysis of variance with repeated measures. One EDTA and six PPT[TM] tubes were collected from each patient. Two aliquots of plasma was removed from the EDTA tube following centrifugation and frozen within 2 hours of specimen collection. One EDTA plasma aliquot was tested upon receipt (reference value). The second EDTA plasma aliquot was stored at -70 degrees C and was later tested in parallel with PPT[TM] tube plasma. The PPT[TM] tubes were centrifuged within 2 hours of collection and the plasma was shipped in-situ either at ambient temperature (two tubes), on frozen cold-paks (two tubes), or on dry ice (one tube). Upon receipt, PPT[TM] tubes were held at their designated temperatures for 3-7 days and then stored at -70 degrees C until batch tested. Twenty-five of 29 frozen EDTA plasma aliquots (reference samples) had detectable viral loads (>40 copies/mL; median=6,310 copies/ mL). PPT[TM] tube plasma viral loads were equivalent to the reference method regardless of shipping and storage conditions tested (p>0.05, Dunnett test). Therefore, this study demonstrated that HIV RNA was stable in PPT[TM] tubes for 3 and 7 days at ambient and refrigerated temperatures, respectively. Furthermore, in contrast to the EDTA tube, the PPT[TM] tube provided a closed collection, preparation and transport system of plasma specimens that obviates plasma transfer and relabeling steps.

Publication Types:

• Meeting Abstracts

Keywords:

• AIDS Vaccines
• Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome
• Body Temperature
• Edetic Acid
• HIV
• HIV Core Protein p24
• HIV Infections
• HIV Seropositivity
• Humans
• Plasma
• RNA
• RNA, Viral
• Temperature
• Viral Load
• immunology

Other ID:

• GWAIDS0007680

UI: 102245176

From Meeting Abstracts