Disparate detection outcomes for anti-HCV IgG and HCV RNA in dried blood spots

Whereas the sensitivity of anti-HCV IgG detection in stored DBS was equivalent to that in recently prepared DBS, the sensitivity of HCV RNA detection was markedly lower in stored DBS compared to recently prepared DBS. Stored DBS may be reliably used for anti-HCV detection but for HCV-RNA-based testing freshly prepared DBS is preferable to stored DBS.