title: The significance of complete serological testing for hepatitis B in heart valve banking.
abstract: Allograft heart valves obtained from donor hearts have been cryopreserved in the Heart Valve Bank in Rotterdam for transplantation purposes. In contrast to hepatitis B screening of organ donors, which consists of only a rapid HBV surface antigen (HBsAg) assay, tissue donors can be screened more completely for hepatitis B virus (HBV) by HBsAg and antibodies against HBV core antigen (anti-HBc) tests, and when necessary, anti-HBs and HBV-DNA tests. The value of this complete HBV screening was investigated by evaluation of the HBV screening results of 676 donor sera. HBsAg was positive in 1 serum. Anti-HBc was positive in 63 sera, of which 52 also had positive antibodies against HBV surface antigen (anti-HBs) tests (no risk of transmission) and 10 had negative anti-HBs tests. In 3 cases with a negative anti-HBs test the HBV-DNA test was positive (risk of transmission). In 3 cases not enough serum was available to perform all tests, resulting in a total of 7 rejected donors. Single HBsAg testing would have resulted in the rejection of only 1 donor. In the presented group of selected donors, approximately 0.5% of the HBsAg-negative donors were lower-level chronic carriers of hepatitis B. Complete HBV screening decreases the risk of transmission of hepatitis B in allograft heart valve transplantation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Thoracic Surgery, University Hospital Dijkzigt, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: E J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Thijssen
authors.forename: A C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Kroes
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bos
authors.forename: G G
authors.initials: GG
authors.lastname: Persijn
authors.forename: P H
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Rothbarth
mesh_terms: D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D006351:Heart Valves; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000635:transmission; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens / Q000097:blood; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006801:Humans; D014015:Tissue Banks / Q000592:standards*; D014019:Tissue Donors
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens