TRANSFUSION TRANS. DISEASE

Hepatitis B Hepatitis C HIV HTLV-1 HGV Malaria Babesiosis Leishmaniasis Lyme DiseaseChagas' Disease TTVCreutzfeldt-Jakob CJD KS and HHV-8 Toxoplasmosis CryoglobulinemiaBacterial Contamination of BP

HEPATITIS B

transmitted through parenteral and sexual exposure. Donor Blood is routinely tested for HBsAg and HBcAb. Persons who have received a hepatitis B vaccination (recommended for all health care workers with patient contact) will have hepatitis B surface antibody present, but not HBsAg or HBcAb.

Hepatitis Ccurrently affects over four million people in the United States. primary reason for liver transplantation in the United States still the most common transfusion transmitted infection. Persons at highest risk for the virus are those who received blood transfusions prior to 1991 or people with a history of IV drug abuse using shared needles.

Hepa CThe hepatitis C virus is taken into the body other than through the digestive tract. It must be inherited, transfused or injected in some manner. The sexual transmission rate is lower than once thought. At present, only testing for hepatitis C antibody is available.

Hepa C cont..The antibody to the hepatitis C virus appears 54 to 192 days in a person's Blood after infection. If an infected person donates Blood prior to the appearance of this antibody the chance of that Blood being used in a transfusion is said to be one out of 103,000 donations.

Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIVIn 1982 the first cases of AIDS transmitted from Blood or Blood components were reported, but little of the infection was known at that time, and even less was talked about publicly. By 1983 radical changes began to occur in the donor criteria to exclude those at high risk for transmission of HIV.

HIVThe testing of Blood products for HIV started in 1985. It was a test to detect the presence of the antibody directed against HIV, rather than a direct test for HIV. Testing for HIV p24 antigen was mandated in 1996.

Human T-lymphocytotrophic Virus This is a retrovirus that is endemic in Japan and the Caribbean. Blood is routinely screened for antibodies to HTLV-1 utilizing this relatively inexpensive test.

HGV The Hepatitis G Virus is an RNA virus of the Flaviviridae family. originally associated with fulminant hepatitis, but recent studies have failed to prove a connection between HGV and clinical illness. It is primarily Blood borne and accounts for 0.3% of acute viral hepatitis

HGV The virus is transmitted by the same routes as HCV and co-infection is common The clinical significance of HGV infection and HGV-HCV co-infection remains to be fully elucidated, but at present does not seem to be a major disease-causing factor. The majority of patients infected with HGV by Blood transfusion do not develop serious chronic hepatitis.

Cryoglobulinemia term given to a disorder of the Blood and refers to the presence of cryoglobulins in the blood. These are abnormal forms of protein molecules that precipitate (clump together) at cold temperatures and re-dissolve at normal body temperature. .

CryoTherefore, when a person with cryoglobulinemia is exposed to cold, he or she may experience decreased circulation in the smaller blood vesselsThis may lead to color changes in the skin, damage to the extremities, bleeding into the skin (purpura), hives and other problems

TTV - Transfusion Transmitted Virus relatively new virus becoming widely known in 1997 in patients with fulminant hepatitis and chronic liver disease of unknown etiology. TTV is an unenveloped, single stranded DNA virus. TTV DNA was detected in 47% of patients with fulminant non-A-G hepatitis and 46% of patients with chronic liver diseases of unknown etiology.

TTVThe result suggests that TTV may be the cause of some cryptogenic liver diseases..

Cytomegalovirus (CMV)The prevalence of the CMV antibody ranges from 50% to 80% of the population. Blood contaminated with CMV can cause problems in neonates or immunocompromised patients. Donor Blood is not routinely tested for CMV

Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD) A degenerative and fatal nervous system disorder. Blood establishments were told of the the risk of CJD being transmitted through Blood products is 'theoretical.' The infectious agent has (yes, has) been found in Blood products.

KS and HHV-8While there appears to be association between Kaposis sarcoma (KS) and human herpes virus-8 (HHV-8) and), it is said to be unproven whether or not the virus is transfusion transmitted. Also, if it is transfusion transmitted, is it associated with development of KS. under-researching, under-investigating and extremely under-reporting

LeishmaniasisCases of transfusion-associated Leishmaniasis are growing each year world wide. This increase is increasingly associated with patients who are positive for HIV. Transfusion-associated Leishmaniasis requires that the parasites be present in the peripheral Blood of the donor, survive processing and storage in the Blood bank, and infect the recipient.

Lyme Disease associated with the bite of the eastern deer tick, and can cause an illness that affects many systems within the body. Donors with a history of Lyme disease can not donate Blood unless they no longer have symptoms whatever, have undergone a full course of antibiotic treatment, and are cleared by a physician.

Malaria The popular statement, routinely given is that "malaria is rarely transmitted by Blood products." The number of transfusion associated cases of malaria, however, is at an all-time high. There are no practical laboratory tests available to test donor Blood, so donors travelling to high risk malaria areas are often deferred from donating Blood for six months.

Chagas' Disease Discovered Brazilian doctor Carlos Chagas, caused by a parasite that infects as many as 18 million people worldwide, causing death from heart and digestive problems.

Babesiosis An intraerythrocytic parasitic infection caused from the bite of the infected Ixodes tick. The transmitted parasite only infects red Blood cells by altering the cell membranes that causes decreased conformability and increased red cell adherence, which, in turn, can lead to development of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) among those severely affected.

BabesiosisThese Blood-borne parasites remain viable under Blood bank conditions. Those individuals with a history of the disease are to be permanently deferred from donating Blood, if they know and admit before Blood donation that they have carried the malady

Toxoplasmosis A systemic protozoan infection that causes symptoms similar to infectious mononucleosis. In immunocompromised individuals this infection can have serious neurological symptoms and can cause fetal death in pregnant women. Toxoplasmosis is also transmitted by common house cats.

Bacterial Contamination of Blood Products It is increasingly rare but a very serious complication of Blood transfusion. Most commonly associated with contamination during Blood collection or during handling of Blood products, such as preparation of platelet pools, and on occasion, associated with bacterial infection of the donor