title: Nucleic acid testing and tissue safety: an eye bank's five-year review of HIV and hepatitis testing for donor corneas.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Tissue safety and added testing is a frequent topic of discussion among those who must evaluate donor suitability and assure appropriate testing. Therefore, the purpose of this report was to examine the data of one eye bank (accredited by Eye Bank Association of America) for the presence or absence of reactive serology in 3592 donors over a 5-year period, from 2005 to 2010.
  
  
  METHODS
  The number of specific analytes, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis B virus, or hepatitis C virus, that were reactive and the number of multireactive serologies are presented along with reports related to the identification of nucleic acid testing (NAT), NAT-reactive donors in correlation with other antigen or antibody markers. Antigen or antibody markers are enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay immunoassay kit determinations. NATs are used to measure the presence of RNA or DNA virus.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The 249 donors with reactive serologies serve to confirm the importance of serologic testing in history-negative potential donors. Furthermore, the findings of 2 HIV NAT-only reactive individuals is significant because it may indicate an early unrecognized exposure and "window period" infectivity not recognized by antibody testing alone. These results support the appropriate inclusion of this added test to guarantee tissue safety.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The finding of 2 potential donors without identified risk factors but with reactive HIV NAT suggests the need for comprehensive serologic testing in conjunction with medical social history screening. Considered together, screening and testing offer the best allograft tissue safety currently available.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Transplant Services Center, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390-9074, USA. ellen.heck@utsouthwestern.edu
authors.forename: Ellen
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Heck
authors.forename: Allen
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: H Dwight
authors.initials: HD
authors.lastname: Cavanagh
mesh_terms: D003315:Cornea; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000097:blood; D005125:Eye Banks / Q000592:standards*; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000175:diagnosis*; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006505:Hepatitis / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006801:Humans; D019520:Living Donors; D021141:Nucleic Acid Amplification Techniques; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral; D012367:RNA, Viral