Residual risk of transfusion-transmitted HCV and HIV infections by antibody-screened blood in Italy.
BACKGROUND
This study was designed to assess the risk of transmitting HCV and HIV by transfusion of antibody-screened blood and to estimate the additional reduction in risk that may be achieved through the implementation of direct viral detection assays in Italy.


METHODS
Clinical and laboratory data of 2,411,800 blood donations collected from repeat volunteer donors from 1996 through 2000 were analyzed. The risk of transmitting HCV or HIV from screened blood donated during the window period was estimated using a mathematical model.


RESULTS
The residual risk of donating antibody-negative infectious blood was estimated at 1 in 127,000 donations for HCV and 1 in 435,000 for HIV. The use of NAT should further reduce such risk by 83 percent for HCV and 50 percent for HIV.


CONCLUSIONS
The residual risk of HCV or HIV transmission through screened blood is currently very small in Italy. The implementation of direct viral detection assays can further improve the safety of blood supply.
Velati
Claudio
C
Transfusion Medicine and Hematology Department, Hospital of Sondrio, Milan, Italy.
Romanò
Luisa
L
Baruffi
Lorella
L
Pappalettera
Marco
M
Carreri
Vittorio
V
Zanetti
Alessandro R
AR
D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood*; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000635:transmission*; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000635:transmission*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D018570:Risk Assessment; D065227:Transfusion Reaction
D000914:Antibodies, Viral