title: Screening tests for blood donors presumed to have transmitted the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome.
abstract: We investigated 18 sets of blood donors from 12 to 50 months after they donated blood to recipients who subsequently developed the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Within each donor set, only one donor was suspected of having transmitted the disease (ie, member of an AIDS risk group). The other donors (n = 189) were not risk group members and served as controls. A number of laboratory tests distinguished suspected from nonsuspected donors, including determination of T helper/T suppressor cell ratio, antibody to hepatitis B core antigen, and immune complexes, but none of these was as sensitive and specific as tests for antibody to the human retrovirus, HTLV-III/LAV.
authors.forename: J S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: McDougal
authors.forename: H W
authors.initials: HW
authors.lastname: Jaffe
authors.forename: C D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Cabridilla
authors.forename: M G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Sarngadharan
authors.forename: J K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Nicholson
authors.forename: V S
authors.initials: VS
authors.lastname: Kalyanaraman
authors.forename: C A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Schable
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kilbourne
authors.forename: B L
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Evatt
authors.forename: R C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Gallo
mesh_terms: D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000635:transmission; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D001782:Blood Donors; D002353:Carrier State / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies / Q000032:analysis; D006512:Hepatitis B Core Antigens / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D008403:Mass Screening; D012190:Retroviridae / Q000276:immunology; D006377:T-Lymphocytes, Helper-Inducer / Q000276:immunology; D050378:T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / Q000276:immunology; D065227:Transfusion Reaction
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies; D006512:Hepatitis B Core Antigens