Transfusion transmitted infection

doi:10.1136/bmj.321.7262.704/a

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Did authors systematically underestimate risks of transfusion?

Gregor Caspari (gregor.j.caspari@viro.med.uni-giessen.de), research fellow

Institute of Clinical Chemistry, Justus Liebig University, 35392 Giessen, Germany
National Blood Service, North London Centre, London NW9 5BG

EDITOR—There are three different ways of estimating the residual risk of infections transmitted by blood transfusion: follow up of recipients of the blood; screening donated blood with more sensitive tests than routinely used (for example, nucleic acid amplification); and estimating the number of undetectable infectious units from seroconversions of repeat donors.

In their prospective follow up study of 5579 out of 9220 patients Regan et al did not detect a single transfusion transmitted infection.1 In view of estimated risks of lower than 1 in 100 000 for transmission of hepatitis B and C viruses and lower than 1 in 1 million for transmission of HIV, however, such a result was not unexpected. The estimate would change dramatically if only one of the 657 participants not followed up …