Parvovirus B19 (B19V) has been discovered in 1975. The association with a disease was unclear in the first time after the discovery of B19V, but meanwhile, the usually droplet transmitted B19V is known as the infectious agent of the "fifth disease," a rather harmless children's illness. But B19V infects erythrocyte progenitor cells and thus, acute B19V infection in patients with a high erythroc...

BACKGROUND Population-based data on the rate and outcome of complications related to blood donation are sparse. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS Data from a survey conducted in 2003 in Aarhus County, Denmark, were used to assess the overall rate of donor complications. Additional nationwide data on moderate and severe donor complications were obtained from the Danish Register of Complications Related...

Over the past two decades, a long series of specific and non-specific measures have been introduced into the screening of blood donations in order to reduce the residual risk of transmission of bloodborne viruses. The latest specific measure has been viral nucleic acid testing (NAT), introduced by the European plasma industry in 1995, and subsequently introduced for blood donations in several c...

BACKGROUND Hepatitis E virus (HEV) Genotype 3 (G3) infection is a zoonosis that may be transmitted during the acute phase by transfusion. The aim of this study was to determine the incidence of HEV and seroprevalence among Irish blood donors. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS Anonymized samples from 1076 donations collected in 2012 were tested for HEV immunoglobulin (Ig)G using the Wantai enzyme-linke...

BACKGROUND Since 2002, Liguria has been part of the Interregional Agreement on Plasma Derivatives (AIP) stipulated among some Regions of north Italy with the aim of contributing to self-sufficiency of the interregional system through exchanges between the facilities lacking products and those with an excess. In Liguria , the management of plasma derivates is entrusted to the Regional Centre for...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES To assess the cost and effectiveness of adding a system of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing to the current enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) screening for hepatitis C virus (HCV) in blood donations. MATERIALS AND METHODS We performed a cost-effectiveness analysis comparing three HCV screening strategies in French blood donors: detection of antibodies a...

BACKGROUND Plasma components of group O blood donations are rarely submitted to ABO antibody titrations even though it is well known that passively acquired antibodies may destroy the recipient's own red cells and tissue grafts. OBJECTIVE Thus, group O donations stratified by gender and age were randomly titrated to identify the best source of products for apheresis and exsanguinous transfusi...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The link between brain iron deficiency and RLS is now well established. In a related observation, several conditions that can deplete iron stores have been linked to increased probability of RLS. Blood donation has been linked to iron deficiency. It has thus been hypothesized that donating blood may be a risk factor for developing RLS. PATIENTS AND METHODS Two thousand ...

Blood is scarce, and ensuring a sufficient blood supply remains difficult for many countries. Payment for blood as a strategy to increase donations has remained highly controversial for decades, and the debate about ethical issues in paying donors has become somewhat stuck. At least from a policy perspective, it is important to find a compromise which allows for devising and implementing accept...