HIV-specific antibody among voluntary blood donors in Lower Saxony (FRG).
Anti-HIV test results of the Red Cross Blood Transfusion Service of Lower Saxony from 1 June 1985 to 31 July 1986 inclusive were analysed retrospectively. Nine out of 70,936 donors who had not donated blood before 1 June 1985 (first-time donors) and 9 out of 261,231 donors who had donated blood before this date (repeating donors) were found anti-HIV confirmed positive at the time of the first blood donation during the study period. The prevalence of HIV antibody in first-time donors was significantly higher than in repeating donors (p less than 0.01). It was concluded that some members of risk groups used blood donation to obtain an anti-HIV test result. One out of 30,300 blood donations was confirmed anti-HIV positive. The results of this study justify the transfusion of blood donations that are reactive only in the initial ELISA test.
D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000032:analysis*; D000918:Antibody Specificity; D001782:Blood Donors; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D005860:Germany, West; D006678:HIV / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007118:Immunoassay; D008297:Male; D012011:Red Cross; D012189:Retrospective Studies
D000914:Antibodies, Viral