TABLE 1.

Results of studies on specimen-handling conditions with blood samples for HIV-1 RNA testing

Presenter (reference)	Assay	Sample no. and patient no.	RNA load in plasma vs that in serum	RNA load in different anti- coagulants	RNA stability in whole blood	RNA stability in plasma	RNA stability with freezing and thaw- ing of plasma	Stability at various temp	RNA stability during shipping
S. Herman (10)	Roche Amplicor	Samples from 18 to 38 patients	Greater in plasma	EDTA > ACD > heparin	Relatively stable to 24 to 48 h	Stable at RT and 4 to 8°C for 5 days	Stable up to four freeze (−80°C)-thaw cycles	Stable in plasma at −20°C for 10 yr	Plasma RNA stable at RT, 2 to 8°C, on dry ice overnight
S. Yeghiazarian (37)	Chiron bDNA	Samples from 19 patients	Greater in plasma	EDTA > ACD > heparin	Decline greater in whole blood vs plasma	Stable to 24 h at RT and 4°C	Stable up to three freeze (−80°C)-thaw cycles; 20% decline if freezing was at −20°C	Stable at −80°C; decline at −20°C by 20 wk
R. Carroll and A. Kovacs (23, 24)a	Organon Teknika NASBA	160 samples from 7 patients	Greater in plasma	EDTA > ACD or serum	Relatively stable to 48 h at RT or 4°C
B. Jackson (18)	Chiron and Roche assays	Samples from 40 patients	Greater in plasma	EDTA > ACD > heparin	Decline greater in whole blood vs plasma	Stable to 30 h at 4°C
N. Michael (32)	Roche assay with silica extraction	33 matched samples from 9 patients	Greater in plasma, but not if adjusted for albumin
R. Dickover (10)	Roche assay	Samples from 20 patients		EDTA > ACD > heparin		Stable to 24 to 48 h
S. Fiscus	Organon Teknika NASBA	Samples from 35 patients					Stable up to four freeze (−80°C)-thaw cycles		Plasma RNA stable at RT overnight
B. Weiser	Organon Teknika NASBA	Samples from 2 patients					Stable up to three freeze (−80°C)-thaw cycles

^aR. Carroll presented work from the laboratory of A. Kovacs.