Guanase activity in the donor serum and the incidence of posttransfusion hepatitis non-A, non-B.
Guanase activity in sera obtained from various liver diseases and normal subjects was measured by a direct colorimetric method. It was also measured in fresh whole blood (FWB) and fresh frozen plasma (FFP) which were transfused to 78 patients during cardiac operations. Guanase activity was elevated in various liver diseases, and good correlation was found between guanase activity and amino-transferases. Thus, guanase activity was thought to be a good marker of liver damage. Among 78 patients, 17 patients (21.8%) developed posttransfusion hepatitis. All were non-A, non-B hepatitis. Mean value of guanase activity in 1527 units of FWB was 1.96 +/- 1.31 U/L, and in 353 units of FFP it was 2.29 +/- 1.02 U/L. Therefore, the normal upper limit of guanase activity of FWB and FFP was defined as 4.5 U/L (mean +/- 2S.D.). Among 1880 units of FWB and FFP, 56 units (3.0%) exceeded this limit. Among 24 recipients of FWB or FFP with guanase activity above 4.5 U/L, 11 cases (45.7%) developed posttransfusion hepatitis, while in 54 recipients of FWB or FFP below 4.5 U/L, only 6 cases (11.1%) developed hepatitis. This result means that blood or plasma with guanase activity above 4.5 U/L had higher risk of transmitting posttransfusion hepatitis non-A, non-B. Accordingly, a screening of donor blood by the activity of guanase may be useful for the prevention of posttransfusion hepatitis non-A, non-B.
D000619:Aminohydrolases / Q000097:blood*; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases / Q000097:blood; D001782:Blood Donors; D004796:Clinical Enzyme Tests; D006148:Guanine Deaminase / Q000097:blood*; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000635:transmission; D006525:Hepatitis, Viral, Human / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000201:enzymology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D065227:Transfusion Reaction
D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases; D000619:Aminohydrolases; D006148:Guanine Deaminase