Improving HCV Screening in Addiction Care Centers with Plasma Separation Cards
Globally, 50 million people are infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV), many of whom are people who inject drugs. These individuals face healthcare barriers, necessitating innovative diagnostic tools. This study evaluated the impact of cobas plasma separation cards (PSCs) for dry plasma collection in...
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| Format: | Article |
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MDPI AG
2025-03-01
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| Series: | Pathogens |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0817/14/3/239 |
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| author | Fernando Velásquez Orozco David Tabernero María Gabriela Barbaglia Lara Treviño Begoña Trujillo Andrés Marco Miguel Ángel Carrillo Gerard Ruiz Salinas Francesc Xavier Majo Roca Joan Colom Farran María Buti Tomas Pumarola-Sunyer Francisco Rodriguez-Frias Ariadna Rando-Segura |
| author_facet | Fernando Velásquez Orozco David Tabernero María Gabriela Barbaglia Lara Treviño Begoña Trujillo Andrés Marco Miguel Ángel Carrillo Gerard Ruiz Salinas Francesc Xavier Majo Roca Joan Colom Farran María Buti Tomas Pumarola-Sunyer Francisco Rodriguez-Frias Ariadna Rando-Segura |
| author_sort | Fernando Velásquez Orozco |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Globally, 50 million people are infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV), many of whom are people who inject drugs. These individuals face healthcare barriers, necessitating innovative diagnostic tools. This study evaluated the impact of cobas plasma separation cards (PSCs) for dry plasma collection in Barcelona’s outpatient drug addiction centers (CAS). From February to December 2021, nine CASs were invited to implement PSC for HCV screening; three centers participated, allowing for the assessment of its impact on HCV detection. Of the 679 clients screened, 54 (8%) provided finger-prick blood samples via PSC due to their refusal or inability to undergo venipuncture. Overall, 100 (14.7%) clients tested positive for HCV antibodies, with 24 (24%) confirmed as HCV-RNA positive. Among venipuncture clients, 9.1% had positive antibodies, with 15.8% showing active infection. In contrast, 79.6% of PSC clients had positive antibodies and 34.9% had detectable HCV RNA, contributing to 62.5% of the active infections detected. The odds ratio was 26.3, indicating that refusal or inability to undergo venipuncture correlated with a significantly higher burden of active HCV infection. The findings highlight PSC as a valuable alternative for diagnosing HCV in people with substance use disorders, addressing accessibility barriers and improving linkage to care in high-risk populations. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-13bb562178eb4194886416fa84b8c6bb |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2076-0817 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Pathogens |
| spelling | doaj-art-13bb562178eb4194886416fa84b8c6bb2025-08-20T01:48:57ZengMDPI AGPathogens2076-08172025-03-0114323910.3390/pathogens14030239Improving HCV Screening in Addiction Care Centers with Plasma Separation CardsFernando Velásquez Orozco0David Tabernero1María Gabriela Barbaglia2Lara Treviño3Begoña Trujillo4Andrés Marco5Miguel Ángel Carrillo6Gerard Ruiz Salinas7Francesc Xavier Majo Roca8Joan Colom Farran9María Buti10Tomas Pumarola-Sunyer11Francisco Rodriguez-Frias12Ariadna Rando-Segura13Microbiology Department, Vall d’Hebron Hospital Universitari, Vall d’Hebron Barcelona Hospital Campus, Passeig Vall d’Hebron 119-129, 08035 Barcelona, SpainLiver Unit, Vall d’Hebron Institut de Recerca (VHIR), Vall d’Hebron Hospital Universitari, Vall d’Hebron Barcelona Hospital Campus, Passeig Vall d’Hebron 119-129, 08035 Barcelona, SpainAgència de Salut Pública de Barcelona, Pl Lesseps 1, 08023 Barcelona, SpainCAS Garbivent, 08027 Barcelona, SpainCAS Garbivent, 08027 Barcelona, SpainCAS Nou Barris, 08033 Barcelona, SpainCAS Nou Barris, 08033 Barcelona, SpainBiochemistry Department, Vall d’Hebron Hospital Universitari, Vall d’Hebron Barcelona Hospital Campus, Passeig Vall d’Hebron 119-129, 08035 Barcelona, SpainProgramme on Addictions, HIV, STI and Viral Hepatitis, Public Health Agency of Catalonia, Department of Health, Government of Catalonia, 08005 Barcelona, SpainProgramme on Addictions, HIV, STI and Viral Hepatitis, Public Health Agency of Catalonia, Department of Health, Government of Catalonia, 08005 Barcelona, SpainLiver Unit, Vall d’Hebron Institut de Recerca (VHIR), Vall d’Hebron Hospital Universitari, Vall d’Hebron Barcelona Hospital Campus, Passeig Vall d’Hebron 119-129, 08035 Barcelona, SpainMicrobiology Department, Vall d’Hebron Hospital Universitari, Vall d’Hebron Barcelona Hospital Campus, Passeig Vall d’Hebron 119-129, 08035 Barcelona, SpainCentro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Hepáticas y Digestivas (CIBERehd), Instituto Carlos III, 28029 Madrid, SpainMicrobiology Department, Vall d’Hebron Hospital Universitari, Vall d’Hebron Barcelona Hospital Campus, Passeig Vall d’Hebron 119-129, 08035 Barcelona, SpainGlobally, 50 million people are infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV), many of whom are people who inject drugs. These individuals face healthcare barriers, necessitating innovative diagnostic tools. This study evaluated the impact of cobas plasma separation cards (PSCs) for dry plasma collection in Barcelona’s outpatient drug addiction centers (CAS). From February to December 2021, nine CASs were invited to implement PSC for HCV screening; three centers participated, allowing for the assessment of its impact on HCV detection. Of the 679 clients screened, 54 (8%) provided finger-prick blood samples via PSC due to their refusal or inability to undergo venipuncture. Overall, 100 (14.7%) clients tested positive for HCV antibodies, with 24 (24%) confirmed as HCV-RNA positive. Among venipuncture clients, 9.1% had positive antibodies, with 15.8% showing active infection. In contrast, 79.6% of PSC clients had positive antibodies and 34.9% had detectable HCV RNA, contributing to 62.5% of the active infections detected. The odds ratio was 26.3, indicating that refusal or inability to undergo venipuncture correlated with a significantly higher burden of active HCV infection. The findings highlight PSC as a valuable alternative for diagnosing HCV in people with substance use disorders, addressing accessibility barriers and improving linkage to care in high-risk populations.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0817/14/3/239hepatitis c infectionintravenous drug usersfinger prick |
| spellingShingle | Fernando Velásquez Orozco David Tabernero María Gabriela Barbaglia Lara Treviño Begoña Trujillo Andrés Marco Miguel Ángel Carrillo Gerard Ruiz Salinas Francesc Xavier Majo Roca Joan Colom Farran María Buti Tomas Pumarola-Sunyer Francisco Rodriguez-Frias Ariadna Rando-Segura Improving HCV Screening in Addiction Care Centers with Plasma Separation Cards Pathogens hepatitis c infection intravenous drug users finger prick |
| title | Improving HCV Screening in Addiction Care Centers with Plasma Separation Cards |
| title_full | Improving HCV Screening in Addiction Care Centers with Plasma Separation Cards |
| title_fullStr | Improving HCV Screening in Addiction Care Centers with Plasma Separation Cards |
| title_full_unstemmed | Improving HCV Screening in Addiction Care Centers with Plasma Separation Cards |
| title_short | Improving HCV Screening in Addiction Care Centers with Plasma Separation Cards |
| title_sort | improving hcv screening in addiction care centers with plasma separation cards |
| topic | hepatitis c infection intravenous drug users finger prick |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0817/14/3/239 |
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