INTRODUCTION
The history of DBS goes long back to 1913 when Ivar Christian Bang isolated glucose from it for the first time[1]. Later, Gutherie developed a method for phenylketonuria (PKU) diagnosis from DBS samples which became a routine practice in neonatal screening for congenital and inherent metabolic disorders[2]. Since then the DBS technique has become a standard sample collection method for epidemiological surveys, monitoring drug resistance, disease prevalence, and seromarkers. The stability of DNA in DBS depends on several factors including storage duration, temperature, humidity, and kind of filter paper used. The quality of filter paper determines the variables like the chromatographic effect of filter paper, elution efficiency, homogeneity, and analyte recovery[3]. The limiting factor in field epidemiological studies is the lack of infrastructure for the collection, storage, and transport of venous blood samples. The advantages of DBS in such cases are (i) minimal invasiveness and low blood volume requirement, (ii) low biohazard risk, (iii) no centrifugation required, (iv) ease of shipment, regular mail, and room temperature can suffice for genetic markers, and (v) storage at 4°C for a short duration and at -20°C/-80°C for a longer term without analyte deterioration[4,5]. Apart from sample stability and easy handling, usual DNA extraction methods from DBS can detect parasite DNA of as low as 0.5 to 2 parasites /μl which is comparable to PCR results from reference blood/serum samples i.e. 0.5 p/μΝ[6] This makes DBS a popular and preferred tool for surveillance and epidemiological studies. The potential and emerging applications of DBS include therapeutic drug monitoring, tracking environmental contamination, pharmacokinetic, genomics, proteomics, metabolomics, and lipidomics study[7]. Nucleic acid extraction from DBS is currently used in the diagnosis, surveillance, and monitoring of several infectious diseases including HBV, HCV, HIV, neonatal screening, and malaria[8].
Malaria is a vector-borne tropical disease caused by Plasmodium parasites. Among the five Plasmodium species known to cause disease in humans, P. falciparum and P. vivax are the most crucial ones posing maximum threats. Despite a century-long effort, malaria is still a leading global health concern with 627000 deaths reported worldwide in 2020 as per the World Malaria Report[9]. Sub-saharan Africa region leads with the maximum malaria cases and related mortality in the world followed by Southeast Asia[9]. WHO has set a pioneering goal of malaria elimination in 35 countries and at least a 90% reduction in malaria cases by 2030[10,11]. India has also launched its malaria elimination program in accordance with the global technical strategy of WHO and aims elimination by 2030[10]. Among several other necessary actions, malaria elimination majorly needs active surveillance of low density/asymptomatic infections, malaria epidemiology (parasite and vector) studies, and tracking drug/insecticide resistance. Around 16,500 international (as per Google patents) and 24 Indian patents (Indian patents advanced search system) have been granted to date for multiple methods of DBS use in several stages of malaria management including diagnostics, surveillance, serosurveys, drug development, and monitoring. This shows the potential of the DBS sampling method in malaria management and elimination, given its advantage over venous blood samples. So, here we have discussed the role of DBS in disease surveillance and management concerning epidemiological studies, parasite and vector surveillance, drug development and polymorphism studies, the crucial arms for malaria elimination [Figure 1].
Figure 1: DBS workflow with downstream applications in malaria management, control and elimination.
DBS use in malaria epidemiology
Efficient diagnosis of malaria infection and individual case management (including treatment and transmission prevention) is the primary tool to achieve elimination in the coming future. More so, it is crucial to identify, monitor, and tackle low density/asymptomatic infections which might act as silent parasite reservoirs in the population[12,13]. To guide future treatment strategies, field-based molecular surveys need to be conducted to generate accurate and efficient data on geographical locations with drug resistance and clusters of high disease prevalence. This information is critical for interrupting local transmission in malaria hot spots through suitable therapeutic interventions. The surveillance should be done with validated and reliable genetic tests and biological assays. Moreover, it should reach even the most remote places with minimal resources and minimum expertise. The genomic deoxyribonucleic acid (gDNA) from DBS is suitable for PCR and can be used for genotyping and genome sequencing once the whole genome is amplified from extracted gDNA[14]. Indeed, the whole plasmodium genome has been sequenced using selective whole genome amplification from clinical DBS samples[15]. This technique has hence been profusely used in low-cost screening for drug and insecticide resistance in malaria epidemiological surveys. Several ultrasensitive technologies have been developed in recent years for enhancing malaria surveillance. The traditional microscopy and rapid diagnostic test (RDTs) fail to detect these very low parasite levels in low transmission settings and need more sensitive DNA-based strategies such as photo-induced electron transfer polymerase chain reaction (PET-PCR), COX-III single direct PCR, DBS-based ultrasensitive PCR that can detect parasite at ~1parasite/DBS[16], multiplex Real-time PCR assay[17] and Loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) with a detection limit of <5000 parasites/ml[18,19] to detect these low-density infections and track their hotspots in a population[20,21]. More recently, a low-cost, robust method for high throughput screening of plasmodium from DBS in both clinical and non-clinical settings has been developed[22]. The technique utilizes mid-infrared spectroscopy in combination with machine learning for direct screening of malaria from DBS[22]. Bead-based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and quantitative suspension array technology are also developed recently to screen pLDH (Plasmodium falciparum lactate dehydrogenase) and pfHRP2 (Plasmodium falciparum histidine-rich proteins 2) from DBS, which can be used simultaneously or independently with pLDH and pfHRP2-based RDTs for malaria diagnostics[23,24]. DBS also serves as the stable sample source for measuring gametocytaemia which can determine the transmission capacity of asymptomatic/low-density infections[25,26]. Apart from traditional antimalarial/insecticide resistance surveys, DBS is being currently used to detect pfHRP2 deletion in the population which is presenting a serious threat to pfHRP2-based RDT diagnostics[27,28]. Kayvan et al., has developed an advanced and sensitive DNA isolation technique from DBS for drug resistance studies in low transmission settings as well as in non-symptomatic infections within high transmission settings with low parasite densities[16,29]. In malaria clinical trials and surveillance studies, thousands of samples are collected from geographically challenging areas where DBS can provide operational and economic advantages. DBS has emerged as an effective tool for serological surveys to monitor malaria transmission intensity, pattern, and past exposure biomarkers of both parasites and vectors of different species, especially in malaria-endemic regions[30,31,32,33,34][35]. Parasite biomarkers for malaria prevalence vary between high (MSP3) and low transmission settings (Pfs230)[36]. Screening of antibodies from DBS elutes can be done by multiple downstream assays including ELISA, multiplex bead assay, protein microarrays, and multiplex immunoassays as in the case of VAR2CSA antibody detection in pregnant women[30,31,32,37]. The crucial host genetic polymorphism of genes such as G6PD (Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase), PCSK9, and P450 which play important roles in disease protection and drug metabolism respectively can be studied from DBS and hence can act as a comprehensive tool to study the role of host genetics in malaria outcome and drug effectiveness[38,39]. These studies can guide the future course of malaria prophylaxis and drug dosage in the target populations.
DBS use in malaria drug development and monitoring
Besides the widespread use of DBS in drug resistance surveys and for anti-malarial drug quantification, it can also be used to identify the presence of confirmed or potential molecular markers for malaria diagnostics and malaria severity including LDH, HRP2, hemozoin, aldolase, glutamate dehydrogenase (pGDH), CRP (C-reactive protein), primaquine (PQ) and multiple serological markers[40,41]. Due to ease of handling, transport, and storage, DBS as a sample source, is preferably used for pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamics (PK-PD) studies of antimalarial drugs during routine therapeutic drug efficacy trials as well as qualitative metabolite profiling of drugs[42,43]. Besides the traditional method of drug elution using chemical methods, a more advanced method for drug concentration semi-quantitation from untreated DBS using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) is being currently used[42,44,45,46]. LC-MS/MS is successfully used for PK-PD analysis of several antimalarial drugs and their metabolites including lumefantrine, chloroquine, and ivermectin[42,47,48]. Apart from the DBS use for biomarker screening and PK-PD analysis, it has found wide use in toxicology to screen toxins, substances of abuse, and trace elements[49].
Role of DBS in malaria-associated hemoglobinopathies
Besides the direct role of DBS in malaria surveillance, it has emerged as a dynamic tool for molecular and epidemiological studies to determine multiple aspects of co-morbid conditions like sickle cell anemia or trait, thalassemia, anemia, and G6PD deficiency[50,56]. These conditions play a crucial role in malaria susceptibility, severity, and drug response, and hence it is crucial to monitor the prevalence of these conditions in a population as a part of routine malaria surveillance[57,58,59,60,61,62]. These co-morbid hemoglobinopathies in their homozygous state present a wide range of phenotypic characteristics and affect malaria pathogenesis, drug response (PQ-induced cytotoxicity in G6PD deficient individuals), and disease outcome[52,53,55,63,64]. The sickle cell trait protects against malaria[65]. DBS is being widely used for routine neonatal screening of sickle cell anemia/trait in sub-Saharan Africa where it is highly prevalent and its early diagnosis might result in better care and survival rate[57,59,61]. G6PD is highly polymorphic and its genetic variants with reduced enzyme activity are prevalent in malaria-endemic areas as these variants have been shown to protect against P. falciparum infection and cerebral malaria[55,56,62,66,67]. Also, primaquine-induced cytotoxicity is well established in G6PD deficient individuals[68]. Therefore, it is crucial to screen and survey G6PD deficient variants that can help in predicting and avoiding drug-induced hemolysis in a population upon PQ therapy. Also, DBS has been shown as a successful sampling method for thalassemia diagnosis in low transmission settings by HPLC, gap PCR, and mass spectrometry[69,70,71]. A recent large-scale Indian study has demonstrated the successful use of DBS for screening multiple hemoglobinopathies using HPLC[58]. So, DBS use for molecular genotyping of these co-morbid blood disorders in the population can help not only to study the correlation or co-prevalence with malaria[50] but also better malaria control and management.
Applications of DBS in host metabolomics
The use of DBS for proteomics is also continuously evolving[72,73]. The highly specific multiple reaction monitoring-electrospray tandem mass spectrometry, MRM-MS has been coupled with DBS and has replaced the traditional screening methods like High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) or Isoelectric Focusing (IEF)[74]. This uses a single-reaction multiple-analyte approach where hundreds of host and parasite markers from numerous diseases can be screened in a single DBS sample and generate high throughput data[75]. This technique can be used to screen multiple metabolic diseases in a single DBS by quantifying multiple therapeutic and endogenous proteins at once and hence, it has found widespread use in newborn screening for treatable congenital disorders and several metabolic disorders such as homocystinurea[76], Menkes disease[77] and medium-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency (MCADD)[78]. Not only the host proteins but pathogen markers such as viral antigens can also be isolated from DBS as in the case of Hepatitis C via Enzyme Immunoassays (EIA)[79]. So, specific host and pathogen protein biomarkers of a disease can be identified and extracted from DBS to aid the development of novel and improved therapeutics and diagnostics. DBS has been adopted as an alternative for analyzing RNA-based biomarkers such as circulating miRNA[80,81] and for characterization and isolation of disease specific miRNA in hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy in newborns[80] and high altitude sickness[81].
Lately, the use of antioxidants on DBS collection filter paper has made it possible to isolate and characterize certain vitamins such as vitamins A, D, E, B, K and other micronutrients like carotenoids from DBS with up to 70 % stability[82,83,84,85,86]. Nutritional profiling in a population can also be used to establish links between levels of these micronutrients and several infectious and non-infectious diseases.
LIMITATIONS
Though DBS provides a vast source of opportunities with its ease of sample collection, storage, and transport, it has its share of limitations as well. Some of the factors which can affect sample quality and recovery from DBS include matrix, hematocrit effect, filter paper quality, and requirement of sensitive detection techniques due to less amount of sample in DBS. DNA extracted is less accurate for P. vivax PCR and hence diagnosis when compared to whole blood samples[87]. However, the difference between, PCR performance of DNA from P. falciparum and mixed infection remains the same for the DNA extracted from DBS and whole blood[87]. Hematocrit effect is still a major shortcoming of DBS use as standard sampling tool for quantitative bioanalytical studies[88,89]. Several strategies have been coming up to cope with this hematocrit based spot area bias, recovery bias and matrix effect including different base/substrate for spotting, hematocrit prediction, in situ generated dried plasma spots and the most recent method of hct prediction using noncontact diffuse reflectance spectroscopy[90,91,92,93,94]. Still there is no universally, accepted method to minimize or completely remove this effect. So, a proper assessment of analyte stability must be established by the researcher before designing any study with DBS as sample source. Specific DBS guidelines must be followed at pre-analytical stage i.e. collection, storage and transport to assure analyte stability and quality.
CONCLUSION
Currently, when the world is aiming malaria elimination in near future, DBS can prove as the key sample source for stringent and regular epidemiological surveys[95] as traditional venous blood sample method is not feasible for such large-scale population-based studies due to limited economic and human resources. Individual case management, artemisinin combination therapy (ACT) and vector control are currently the main pillars of malaria control and management across the world[11]. Still, drug and insecticide resistance along with low density infections pose major challenges to these efforts of malaria control and elimination, especially in low transmission settings like South East Asia where low density/asymptomatic/subpatent infections act as parasite reservoirs and hinders malaria elimination plans. So, it is necessary to have active and robust surveillance and epidemiological surveys to achieve and sustain malaria elimination. Hence, DBS, as a sampling method, can be employed in countries targeting malaria elimination as an effective surveillance tool that will allow immediate access to these underlying molecular factors associated with malaria.
Ethical statement: Not applicable
Conflict of interest:
None
REFERENCES
1. Grüner N, Stambouli O, Ross RS. Dried blood spots--preparing and processing for use in immunoassays and in molecular techniques J Vis Exp. 2015;97:52619
2. . Phenylketonuria (PKU): screening and management NIH Consens Statement. 2000;17:1–33
3. Chace DH, Hannon WH. Filter Paper as a Blood Sample Collection Device for Newborn Screening Clinical Chemistry. 2016;62:423–425
4. Demirev PA. Dried blood spots: analysis and applications Anal Chem. 2013;85:779–789
5. McDade TW, Williams S, Snodgrass JJ. What a drop can do: dried blood spots as a minimally invasive method for integrating biomarkers into population-based research Demography. 2007;44:899–925
6. Str⊘m GEA, Tellevik MG, Langeland HN, Blomberg B. Comparison of four methods for extracting DNA from dried blood on filter paper for PCR targeting the mitochondrial Plasmodium genome Transactions of The Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. 2014;108:488–494
7. Freeman JD, Rosman LM, Ratcliff JD, Strickland PT, Graham DR, Silbergeld EK. State of the Science in Dried Blood Spots Clinical Chemistry. 2018;64:656–679
8. Tuaillon E, Kania D, Pisoni A, Bollore K, Taieb F, Ontsira Ngoyi EN, et al Dried Blood Spot Tests for the Diagnosis and Therapeutic Monitoring of HIV and Viral Hepatitis B and C, Front Microbiol. 2020;11:373
9. World Health Organization. World malaria report 2021. 2021Accessed onJuly 21, 2022 Geneva World Health Organization
https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/350147
10. World Health Organization. Global technical strategy for malaria 2016–2030, 2021 update. 2021Accessed on July 21, 2022 Geneva World Health Organization
https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/342995
11. World Health Organization. A framework for malaria elimination. 2017Accessed on July 21, 2022 Geneva World Health Organization
https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/254761
12. Mosha JF, Sturrock HJ, Greenhouse B, Greenwood B, Sutherland CJ, Gadalla N, et al Epidemiology of subpatent Plasmodium falciparum infection: implications for detection of hotspots with imperfect diagnostics Malar J. 2013;12:221
13. Flaherty KO, WH Oo, Zaloumis SG, Cutts JC, Aung KZ, Thein MM, et al Community-based molecular and serological surveillance of subclinical malaria in Myanmar BMC Med. 2021;19:121
14. Kumar A, Mhatre S, Godbole S, Jha P, Dikshit R. Optimization of extraction of genomic DNA from archived dried blood spot (DBS): potential application in epidemiological research & bio banking Gates Open Res. 2018;2:57
15. Oyola SO, Ariani CV, Hamilton WL, Kekre M, Amenga-Etego LN, Ghansah A, et al Whole genome sequencing of Plasmodium falciparum from dried blood spots using selective whole genome amplification Malaria Journal. 2016;15:597
16. Zainabadi K, Adams M, Han ZY, Lwin HW, Han KT, Ouattara A, et al Nyunt, A novel method for extracting nucleic acids from dried blood spots for ultrasensitive detection of low-density Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax infections Malar J. 2017;16:377
17. Belachew M, Wolde M, Nega D, Gidey B, Negash L, Assefa A, et al Evaluating performance of multiplex real time PCR for the diagnosis of malaria at elimination targeted low transmission settings of Ethiopia Malar J. 2022;21:9
18. Aydin-Schmidt B, Xu W, González IJ, Polley SD, Bell D, Shakely D, et al Loop Mediated Isothermal Amplification (LAMP) Accurately Detects Malaria DNA from Filter Paper Blood Samples of Low Density Parasitaemias PLoS ONE. 2014;9:e103905
19. Benié EMA, Silué KD, Ding XC, Yeo I, Assamoi JB, Tuo K, et al Accuracy of a rapid diagnosis test, microscopy and loop-mediated isothermal amplification in the detection of asymptomatic Plasmodium infections in Korhogo, Northern Côte d’Ivoire Malar J. 2022;21:111
20. Sitali L, Miller JM, Mwenda MC, Bridges DJ, Hawela MB, et al Distribution of Plasmodium species and assessment of performance of diagnostic tools used during a malaria survey in Southern and Western Provinces of Zambia Malar J. 2019;18:130
21. Echeverry DF, Deason NA, Davidson J, Makuru V, Xiao H, Niedbalski J, et al Human malaria diagnosis using a single-step direct-PCR based on the Plasmodium cytochrome oxidase III gene Malar J. 2016;15:128
22. Mwanga EP, Minja EG, Mrimi E, Jiménez MG, Swai JK, Abbasi S, et al Detection of malaria parasites in dried human blood spots using mid-infrared spectroscopy and logistic regression analysis Malar J. 2019;18:341
23. Markwalter CF, Gibson LE, Mudenda L, Kimmel DW, Mbambara S, Thuma PE, et al Characterization of Plasmodium Lactate Dehydrogenase and Histidine-Rich Protein 2 Clearance Patterns via Rapid On-Bead Detection from a Single Dried Blood Spot The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. 2018;98:1389–1396
24. Martiáñez-Vendrell X, Jiménez A, Vásquez A, Campillo A, Incardona S, González R, et al Quantification of malaria antigens PfHRP2 and pLDH by quantitative suspension array technology in whole blood, dried blood spot and plasma Malar J. 2020;19:12
25. Salgado C, Ayodo G, Macklin MD, Gould MP, Nallandhighal S, Odhiambo EO, et al The prevalence and density of asymptomatic Plasmodium falciparum infections among children and adults in three communities of western Kenya Malar J. 2021;20:371
26. Pritsch M, Wieser A, Soederstroem V, Poluda D, Eshetu T, Hoelscher M, et al Stability of gametocyte-specific Pfs25-mRNA in dried blood spots on filter paper subjected to different storage conditions Malar J. 2012;11:138
27. Alemayehu GS, Blackburn K, Lopez K, Cambel Dieng C, Lo E, Janies D, et al Detection of high prevalence of Plasmodium falciparum histidine-rich protein 2/3 gene deletions in Assosa zone, Ethiopia: implication for malaria diagnosis Malar J. 2021;20:109
28. Kobayashi T, Sikalima J, Parr JB, Chaponda M, Stevenson JC, Thuma PE, et al Moss, for the Southern and Central Africa International Centers of Excellence for Malaria Research, The Search for Plasmodium falciparum histidine–rich protein 2/3 Deletions in Zambia and Implications for Plasmodium falciparum histidine-rich protein 2-Based Rapid Diagnostic Tests The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. 2019;100:842–845
29. Zainabadi K, Nyunt MM, Plowe CV. An improved nucleic acid extraction method from dried blood spots for amplification of Plasmodium falciparum kelch13 for detection of artemisinin resistance Malaria Journal. 2019;18:192
30. Rogier E, Moss DM, Chard AN, Trinies V, Doumbia S, Freeman MC, Lammie PJ. Evaluation of Immunoglobulin G Responses to Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax in Malian School Children Using Multiplex Bead Assay Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2017;96:312–318
31. MarkwalterC F, Nyunt MH, Han ZY, Henao R, Jain A, Taghavian O, et al Antibody signatures of asymptomatic Plasmodium falciparum malaria infections measured from dried blood spot Malar J. 2021;20:378
32. Montiel J, Carbal LF, Tobón-Castaño A, Vásquez GM, Fisher ML, Londono-Rentería B. IgG antibody response against Anopheles salivary gland proteins in asymptomatic Plasmodium infections in Narino, Colombia Malar J. 2020;19:42
33. Labadie-Bracho MY, van Genderen FT, Adhin MR. Malaria serology data from the Guiana shield: first insight in IgG antibody responses to Plasmodium falciparum, Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium malariae antigens in Suriname Malar J. 2020;19:360
34. Kyei-Baafour E, Oppong M, Kusi KA, Frempong AF, Aculley B, Arthu FKN, et al Suitability of IgG responses to multiple Plasmodium falciparum antigens as markers of transmission intensity and pattern PLoS ONE. 2021;16:e0249936
35. Lu A, Cote O, Dimitrova SD, Cooley G, Alamgir A, Uzzaman MS, Flora MS, et al Screening for malaria antigen and anti-malarial IgG antibody in forcibly-displaced Myanmar nationals: Cox’s Bazar district, Bangladesh, 2018 Malar J. 2020;19:130
36. Amoah LE, Acquah FK, Ayanful-Torgby R, Oppong A, Abankwa J, Obboh EK, et al Dynamics of anti-MSP3 and Pfs230 antibody responses and multiplicity of infection in asymptomatic children from southern Ghana Parasites Vectors. 2018;11:13
37. Fonseca AM, Quinto L, Jiménez A, González R, Bardají A, Maculuve S, Dobaño C, Rupérez M, Vala A, Aponte JJ, Sevene E, Macete E, Menéndez C, Mayor A. Multiplexing detection of IgG against Plasmodium falciparum pregnancy-specific antigens PLoS ONE. 2017;12:e0181150
38. Nain M, Mohan M, Sharma A. Effects of Host Genetic Polymorphisms on the Efficacy of the Radical Cure Malaria Drug Prima-quine The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. 2022
39. Arama C, Diarra I, Kouriba B, Sirois F, Fedoryak O, Thera MA, et al Malaria severity: Possible influence of the E670G PCSK9 polymorphism: A preliminary case-control study in Malian children PLoS ONE. 2018;13:e0192850
40. Paul R, SinhaP K, Bhattacharya R, Banerjee AK, Raychaudhuri P, Mondal J. Study of C reactive protein as a prognostic marker in malaria from Eastern India Adv Biomed Res. 2012;1:41
41. Jain P, Chakma B, Patra S, Goswami P. Potential Biomarkers and Their Applications for Rapid and Reliable Detection of Malaria BioMed Research International. 2014:1–20
42. Ippolito MM, Huang L, Siame M, Thuma P, Shapiro TA, Aweeka FT. Semi-quantitative measurement of the antimalarial lume-fantrine from untreated dried blood spots using LC-MS/MS Journal of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Analysis. 2018;155:241–246
43. Katyayan KK, Hui YH. An evaluation of metabolite profiling of six drugs using dried blood spot Xenobiotica. 2019;49:14581469
44. Blessborn D, Römsing S, Annerberg A, Sundquist D, Björkman A, Lindegardh N. Development and validation of an automated solid-phase extraction and liquid chromatographic method for determination of lumefantrine in capillary blood on sampling paper Journal of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Analysis. 2007;45:282–287
45. Ntale M, Ogwal-Okeng JW, Mahindi M, Gustafsson LL, Beck O. A field-adapted sampling and HPLC quantification method for lumefantrine and its desbutyl metabolite in whole blood spotted on filter paper Journal of Chromatography B. 2008;876:261–265
46. Kyriakou C, Marchei E, Scaravelli G, García-Algar O, Supervía A, Graziano S. Identification and quantification of psychoactive drugs in whole blood using dried blood spot (DBS) by ultra-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry Journal of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Analysis. 2016;128:53–60
47. Kaewkhao K, Chotivanich K, Winterberg M, Day NP, Tarning J, Blessborn D. High sensitivity methods to quantify chloroquine and its metabolite in human blood samples using LC-MS/MS Bioanalysis. 2019;11:333–347
48. Duthaler U, Suenderhauf C, Karlsson MO, Hussner J, Meyer zu Schwabedissen H, et al Population pharmacokinetics of oral ivermectin in venous plasma and dried blood spots in healthy volunteers Br J Clin Pharmacol. 2019;85:626–633
49. Niemiec A. Dried Blood Spot in Toxicology: Current Knowledge Separations. 2021;8:145
50. McGann PT, Williams AM, Ellis G, McElhinney KE, Romano L, Woodall J, et al Prevalence of inherited blood disorders and associations with malaria and anemia in Malawian children Blood Advances. 2018;2:3035–3044
51. Friedman MJ. Erythrocytic mechanism of sickle cell resistance to malaria. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci U.S.A. 2018;75:1994–1997
52. Gong L, Gong CX, Rosenthal PJ, Hubbard AE, Drakeley CJ, Dorsey G, et al Evidence for both innate and acquired mechanisms of protection from Plasmodium falciparum in children with sickle cell trait Blood. 2019;119:3808–3814
53. Allen SJ, AO’ Donnell, Alexander NDE, Alpers MP, Peto TEA, Clegg JB, et al α + -Thalassemia protects children against disease caused by other infections as well as malaria Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 1997;94:14736–14741
54. Ayi K, Turrini F, Piga A, Arese P. Enhanced phagocytosis of ring-parasitized mutant erythrocytes: a common mechanism that may explain protection against falciparum malaria in sickle trait and beta-thalassemia trait Blood. 2014;104:3364–3371
55. Luzzatto L. G6PD deficiency: a polymorphism balanced by heterozygote advantage against malaria The Lancet Haematology. 2015;2:e400–e401
56. Cappadoro M, Giribaldi G, Brien EO, Turrini F, Mannu F, Ulliers D, et al Arese, Early phagocytosis of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD)-deficient erythrocytes parasitized by Plasmodium falciparum may explain malaria protection in G6PD deficiency Blood. 1998;92:2527–2534
57. Chindima N, Nkhoma P, Sinkala M, Zulu M, Kafita D, Simakando M, et al The use of dried blood spots: A potential tool for the introduction of a neonatal screening program for sickle cell anemia in zambia Int J App Basic Med Res. 2018;8:30
58. Hampe MH, Panaskar SN, Mestri R, Kamble NA, Chaudhari PS. Screening of hemoglobinopathies in 32000 dried blood spot samples by cation exchange high performance liquid chromatography - An Indian study IJMS. 2017;4:1–8
59. AmbroseE E, Smart LR, Charles M, Hernandez AG, Hokororo A, Latham T, et al Geospatial Mapping of Sickle Cell Disease in Northwest Tanzania: The Tanzania Sickle Surveillance Study (TS3) Blood. 2018;132:3662
60. Devendra R, Gupta V, Shanmugam R, Singh MPSS, Patel P, Valecha N, et al Prevalence and spectrum of mutations causing G6PD deficiency in Indian populations Infection, Genetics and Evolution. 2020;86:104597
61. Ambrose EE, Smart LR, Hokororo A, Charles M, Beyanga M, Hernandez AG, et al Prevalence and mapping of sickle cell disease in northwestern Tanzania Blood Advances. 2017;1:26–28
62. Sarkar S, BiswasN K, Dey B, Mukhopadhyay D, Majumder PP. A large, systematic molecular-genetic study of G6PD in Indian populations identifies a new non-synonymous variant and supports recent positive selection Infect Genet Evol. 2010;10:1228–1236
63. Williams TN, Wambua S, Uyoga S, Macharía A, Mwacharo JK, Newton CRJC, Maitland K. Both heterozygous and homozygous α+ thalassemias protect against severe and fatal Plasmodium falciparum malaria on the coast of Kenya Blood. 2005;106:368–371
64. Chu CS, Bancone G, Nosten F, White NJ, Luzzatto L. Primaquine-induced haemolysis in females heterozygous for G6PD deficiency Malar J. 2018;17:101
65. Bunn HF. The triumph of good over evil: protection by the sickle gene against malaria Blood. 2013;121:20–25
66. Awab GR, Aaram F, Jamornthanyawat N, Suwannasin K, Pagornrat W, Watson JA, et al Protective effect of Mediterranean-type glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency against Plasmodium vivax malaria Elife. 2021;10
67. Yi H, Li H, Liang L, Wu Y, Zhang L, Qiu W, et al The glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase Mahidol variant protects against uncomplicated Plasmodium vivax infection and reduces disease severity in a Kachin population from northeast Myanmar Infect Genet Evol. 2019;75:103980
68. Thriemer K, Ley B, Bobogare A, Dysoley L, Alam MS, Pasaribu AP, et al Challenges for achieving safe and effective radical cure of Plasmodium vivax: a round table discussion of the APMEN Vivax Working Group Malar J. 2017;16:141
69. Pornprasert S, Kasemrad C, Sukunthamala K. Diagnosis of Thalassemia on Dried Blood Spot Samples by High Performance Liquid Chromatography Hemoglobin. 2010;34:486–494
70. Pornprasert S, Kaewbundit A, Phusua A, Suanta S, Saetung R, Sanguansermsri T. Comparison of real-time polymerase chain reaction SYBR Green1 with high resolution melting analysis and TaqMan MGB probes for detection of α-thalassemia-1 South-East Asian type on dried blood spots European Journal of Haematology. 2008
71. DanielY A, Turner C, Haynes RM, Hunt BJ, Dalton RN. Quantification of Hemoglobin A2 by Tandem Mass Spectrometry Clinical Chemistry. 2007;53:1448–1454
72. Björkesten J, Enroth S, Shen Q, Wik L, Hougaard DM, et al Stability of Proteins in Dried Blood Spot Biobanks Mol Cell Proteomics. 2017;16:1286–1296
73. Eshghi A, Pistawka AJ, Liu J, Chen M, Sinclair NJT, Hardie DB, et al Concentration determination of >200 proteins in dried blood spots for biomarker discovery and validation Mol Cell Proteomics. 2020 mcp.TIR119.001820.
74. Sahai I, Marsden D. Newborn Screening Critical Reviews in Clinical Laboratory Sciences. 2009;46:55–82
75. Chace DH, Kalas TA, Naylor EW. Use of tandem mass spectrometry for multianalyte screening of dried blood specimens from newborns Clin Chem. 2003;49:1797–1817
76. Alodaib AN, Carpenter K, Wiley V, Wotton T, Christodoulou J, Wilcken B. Homocysteine measurement in dried blood spot for neonatal detection of homocystinurias JIMD Rep. 2012;5:1–6
77. ParadR B, Kaler SG, Mauceli E, Sokolsky T, Yi L, Bhattacharjee A Targeted next generation sequencing for newborn screening of Menkes disease Molecular Genetics and Metabolism Reports. 2020;24:100625
78. McCandless SE, Chandrasekar R, Linard S, Kikano S, Rice L. Sequencing from dried blood spots in infants with “false positive” newborn screen for MCAD deficiency Mol Genet Metab. 2013;108:51–55
79. Brandão CPU, Marques BLC, Marques VA, Villela-Nogueira CA, Do ÓKMR, de Paula MT, et al Simultaneous detection of hepatitis c virus antigen and antibodies in dried blood spots Journal of Clinical Virology. 2013;57:98–102
80. Ponnusamy V, Kapellou O, Yip E, Evanson J, Wong LF, Michael-Titus A, et al A study of microRNAs from dried blood spots in newborns after perinatal asphyxia: a simple and feasible biosampling method Pediatric Research. 2016;79:799–805
81. Xue-Han Ning NEB, Kui Li ZNZ. Circulating miRNAs from Dried Blood Spots are Associated with High Altitude Sickness J Med Diagn Meth. 2013;02
82. Midttun Ø, Ueland PM. Determination of vitamins A, D and E in a small volume of human plasma by a high-throughput method based on liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry Rapid Commun Mass Spectrom. 2019;25:1942–1948
83. Fallah E, Peighambardoust SH. Validation of the Use of Dried Blood Spot (DBS) Method to Assess Vitamin A Status Health Promot Perspect. 2012;2:180–189
84. Zhang M, Liu H, Huang X, Shao L, Xie X, Wang F, et al A novel LC-MS/MS assay for vitamin B(1), B(2) and B(6) determination in dried blood spots and its application in children J Chromatogr B Analyt Technol Biomed Life Sci. 2019;1112:33–40
85. Rubió L, Yuste S, Ludwig I, Romero MP, Motilva MJ, Calderón L, et al Macià, Application of Dried Blood Spot Cards combined with liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry to determine eight fat-soluble micronutrients in human blood Journal of Chromatography B. 2020;1152:122247
86. Arredondo FX, Craft NE. Effect of Antioxidants on Vitamins A, E and Carotenoid Stability in Dried Blood Spots The FASEB Journal. 2016;30:892.7
87. Mahittikorn A, Masangkay FR, Kotepui KU, De Jesus Milanez G, Kotepui M. Comparative performance of PCR using DNA extracted from dried blood spots and whole blood samples for malaria diagnosis: a meta-analysis Sci Rep. 2021;11:4845
88. Velghe S, Delahaye L, Stove CP. Is the hematocrit still an issue in quantitative dried blood spot analysis? Journal of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Analysis. 2019;163:188–196
89. De Kesel PM, Sadones N, Capiau S, LambertW E, Stove CP. Hemato-critical issues in quantitative analysis of dried blood spots: challenges and solutions Bioanalysis. 2013;5:2023–2041
90. Capiau S, Wilk LS, Aalders MCG, Stove CP. A Novel, Nondestructive, Dried Blood Spot-Based Hematocrit Prediction Method Using Noncontact Diffuse Reflectance Spectroscopy. Anal Chem. 2016;88:6538–6546
91. Capiau S, Stove VV, Lambert WE, Stove CP. Prediction of the Hematocrit of Dried Blood Spots via Potassium Measurement on a Routine Clinical Chemistry Analyzer. Anal Chem. 2013;85:404–410
92. Zhang J, Lok D, Gray J, Grossman S, Jones M. Development of a novel noncapillary plasma microsampling device for ultra-low volume of blood collection Bioanalysis. 2016;8:871–880
93. Kim JH, Woenker T, Adamec J, Regnier FE. Simple Miniaturized Blood Plasma Extraction Method. Anal Chem. 2013;85:11501–11508
94. Goparaju SM, Nandula YSM, Bannoth Kothapalli C, Challa BR, Awen BZ. Method development and validation of Guanfacine in rat plasma by liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry: Application to a pharmacokinetic study Journal of Pharmaceutical Analysis. 2013;3:472–480
95. Yamamoto C, Nagashima S, Isomura M, Ko K, Chuon C, Akita T, et al Evaluation of the efficiency of dried blood spot-based measurement of hepatitis B and hepatitis C virus seromarkers Sci Rep. 2020;10:3857