title: Association between transfusion with human herpesvirus 8 antibody-positive blood and subsequent mortality.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8) is endemic in Uganda and transmissible by blood. We evaluated mortality following transfusion of HHV-8 antibody-positive blood.
  
  
  METHODS
  In a hospital-based, observational, prospective cohort study with a 6-month follow-up, we examined the effect of HHV-8 antibody-positive blood on transfusion recipients surviving at least 7 days.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of 1092 recipients, 471 (43.1%) were transfused with HHV-8 antibody-positive blood. Median age was 1.8 years (range, 0.1-78); 111 (10.2%) died during follow-up. After adjusting for confounders (increasing age, human immunodeficiency virus infection, illness other than malaria, receipt of multiple transfusions), recipients of HHV-8 antibody-positive blood stored ≤4 days ("short-stored") were more likely to die than recipients of HHV-8 antibody-negative blood (adjusted hazards ratio [AHR], 1.92; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.21-3.05; P = .01). The AHR of the effect of each additional short-stored HHV-8 antibody-positive transfusion was 1.79 (95% CI, 1.33-2.41; P = .001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Transfusion with short-stored HHV-8 antibody-positive blood was associated with an increased risk of death. Further research is warranted to determine if a causal pathway exists and to verify the observed association between acute HHV-8 infection and premature mortality.
authors.affiliation: Division of Global HIV/AIDS, Center for Global Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Entebbe, Uganda. wfh3@cdc.gov
authors.forename: Wolfgang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Hladik
authors.forename: Philip E
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Pellett
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hancock
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Downing
authors.forename: Hongjiang
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Packel
authors.forename: Derrick
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Mimbe
authors.forename: Esau
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Nzaro
authors.forename: Jonathan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mermin
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications; D006566:Herpesviridae Infections / Q000276:immunology / Q000401:mortality* / Q000635:transmission*; D019288:Herpesvirus 8, Human / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D065227:Transfusion Reaction; D014454:Uganda / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral