Stability of HIV RNA in plasma stored at different temperatures
- 1Seattle Children's Research Institute
Abstract
In resource-limited settings plasma is usually transported to centralized laboratories for HIV RNA quantification; often by motor vehicles using dry ice. Any decay in plasma HIV RNA when near the threshold used to define virologic failure could impact clinical management. However, maintaining a cold chain during transport can be costly and limit the frequency of shipments, which can delay clinical assessments and also negatively impact patient care. Transporting plasma at ambient temperatures could facilitate timely measurements of plasma HIV RNA viral loads (VL). We conducted a stability study of HIV RNA in plasma held for 1, 3, 5, and 7 days at a range of temperatures (4{degrees}C, 30{degrees}C, and 37{degrees}C) to simulate the durations and temperatures specimens could experience during transport. Thirteen large volume plasma specimens with VL ranging from 2.7-5.53 log10 copies/mL were evaluated. Mean changes in VL between Day-0 to Day-1, Day-3, Day-5 or Day-7 were calculated, with decays >0.5 log10 c/mL considered clinically relevant. Compared to Day 0, the VL of plasma stored at 4{degrees}C and 30{degrees}C remained stable across the Days tested. The VL in plasma stored at 37{degrees}C had a progressive decline at Day-1, Day-3, Day-5 and Day-7 (means of - 0.04, -0.19, -0.33. -0.34 log10 c/mL, respectively), with a decay of >0.5 log10 observed in 3/13 (23%) specimens at Day-7. A linear regression analysis showed that plasma specimens stored at 37{degrees}C significantly decayed over time (slope - 0.054, 95% CI -0.079, -0.029; p=0.01). Any decay observed among specimens stored at 4{degrees}C and 30{degrees}C was not clinically relevant nor statistically significant. Our observations suggest that HIV RNA levels in plasma should remain stable if transported to centralized laboratories at ambient temperatures of [≤]30{degrees}C or chilled by cold packs over a period [≤]7 days. Transporting specimens with cold packs instead of dry ice could reduce costs and facilitate the timely monitoring of VL used to assess and guide antiretroviral therapy.
Related
- Microbial Load and Morphological Characterization of Bacteria and Fungi in Dough Stored at Different Temperatures and a Contaminated Pickle Sample
- The Effects of Different Storage Temperatures on Chemical Substance Changes in Saffron Stigmas Analyzed by LC-MS and GC-TOF-MS.
- Toxicity of Rocket Fuel Derivatives to the Tenebrio molitor-Gregarina spp. Host-Parasite System at Different Temperatures.
- Long-term visual outcomes and rotational stability of two diffractive toric intraocular lenses with different design combinations in cataract patients with long axial length
- Effects of dielectric barrier discharge cold plasma generated with different working gases on seedling growth and biomass traits in two barley cultivars (Bahman and Novosadski)
BibTeX
@misc{levine2026stability,
title = {{Stability of HIV RNA in plasma stored at different temperatures}},
author = {M. Levine and I. A. Beck and R. A. Silverman and G. Pepper and L. M. Frenkel},
howpublished = {medRxiv},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.64898/2026.09.22.26363748},
url = {https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.22.26363748v1},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Stability of HIV RNA in plasma stored at different temperatures
AU - M. Levine
AU - I. A. Beck
AU - R. A. Silverman
AU - G. Pepper
AU - L. M. Frenkel
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/22
PB - medRxiv
DO - 10.64898/2026.09.22.26363748
UR - https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.22.26363748v1
AB - In resource-limited settings plasma is usually transported to centralized laboratories for HIV RNA quantification; often by motor vehicles using dry ice. Any decay in plasma HIV RNA when near the threshold used to define virologic failure could impact clinical management. However, maintaining a cold chain during transport can be costly and limit the frequency of shipments, which can delay clinical assessments and also negatively impact patient care. Transporting plasma at ambient temperatures could facilitate timely measurements of plasma HIV RNA viral loads (VL). We conducted a stability study of HIV RNA in plasma held for 1, 3, 5, and 7 days at a range of temperatures (4{degrees}C, 30{degrees}C, and 37{degrees}C) to simulate the durations and temperatures specimens could experience during transport. Thirteen large volume plasma specimens with VL ranging from 2.7-5.53 log10 copies/mL were evaluated. Mean changes in VL between Day-0 to Day-1, Day-3, Day-5 or Day-7 were calculated, with decays >0.5 log10 c/mL considered clinically relevant. Compared to Day 0, the VL of plasma stored at 4{degrees}C and 30{degrees}C remained stable across the Days tested. The VL in plasma stored at 37{degrees}C had a progressive decline at Day-1, Day-3, Day-5 and Day-7 (means of - 0.04, -0.19, -0.33. -0.34 log10 c/mL, respectively), with a decay of >0.5 log10 observed in 3/13 (23%) specimens at Day-7. A linear regression analysis showed that plasma specimens stored at 37{degrees}C significantly decayed over time (slope - 0.054, 95% CI -0.079, -0.029; p=0.01). Any decay observed among specimens stored at 4{degrees}C and 30{degrees}C was not clinically relevant nor statistically significant. Our observations suggest that HIV RNA levels in plasma should remain stable if transported to centralized laboratories at ambient temperatures of [≤]30{degrees}C or chilled by cold packs over a period [≤]7 days. Transporting specimens with cold packs instead of dry ice could reduce costs and facilitate the timely monitoring of VL used to assess and guide antiretroviral therapy.
ER -