Simian foamy virus infection in a blood donor.
BACKGROUND
Infections with simian foamy virus (SFV) are widely prevalent in nonhuman primates. SFV infection was confirmed in a worker, occupationally exposed to nonhuman primates, who donated blood after the retrospectively documented date of infection. Human-to-human transmission of SFV through transfusion and its pathogenicity have not been studied.


METHODS
Recipients of blood from this donor were identified and blood samples from such recipients were tested for SFV infection by Western blot and PCR assay.


RESULTS
One recipient of RBCs and another recipient of FFP had died; retroviral infections were not implicated. One platelet recipient could not be tested. Recipients of RBCs (two), a WBC-reduced RBC unit (one), and a platelet unit (one) tested SFV-negative 19 months to 7 years after transfusion. Tested recipients had transfusions 3 to 35 days after blood donation. Samples of one lot of albumin and three lots of plasma protein fraction (manufactured from recovered plasma from two donations) tested negative both for antibodies and for viral RNA.


CONCLUSIONS
SFV transmission through transfusion was not identified among four recipients of cellular blood components from one SFV-infected donor. Derivatives containing plasma from that donor tested negative for SFV.
Boneva
R S
RS
Division of AIDS, STD, and TB Laboratory Research, National Center for Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA 30333, USA. rboneva@cdc.gov
Grindon
A J
AJ
Orton
S L
SL
Switzer
W M
WM
Shanmugam
Vedapuri
V
Hussain
A I
AI
Bhullar
V B
VB
Chamberland
M E
ME
Heneine
Walid
W
Folks
T M
TM
Chapman
L E
LE
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000818:Animals; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood; D016913:Blood Component Transfusion / Q000009:adverse effects; D001782:Blood Donors; D015153:Blotting, Western; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D002679:Pan troglodytes; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011533:Proviruses / Q000235:genetics; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012192:Retroviridae Infections / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000635:transmission*; D016092:Spumavirus / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology
D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D004279:DNA, Viral