title: Anti-HTLV-III screening of blood donors.
abstract: In a survey on 82,383 blood donor specimens from Hessen, West Germany, the observed percentage of repeatedly positive HTLV-III/LAV antibody ELISA results was 0.2%, but only 0.018% were confirmed by Western blot, immunofluorescence assay or radioimmunoprecipitation assay. These data are consistent with larger epidemiological data compiled from other German blood banks and suggest a high degree of nonspecific false-positive results; one of the causes for false-positives are HLA-DR4 antibodies, which react in the HTLV-III/LAV test. Epidemiological data on 127 dialysis patients and 1,153 prison inmates are presented.
mesh_terms: D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000032:analysis*; D001782:Blood Donors; D017977:Deltaretrovirus / Q000276:immunology*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006467:Hemophilia A / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011933:Reagent Kits, Diagnostic; D006435:Renal Dialysis
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D011933:Reagent Kits, Diagnostic