Cytomegalovirus Infection in Blood Donors—A Prospective Study

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Abstract
Summary. One hundred and ninety‐five blood donors for 10 patients who had open‐heart surgery and fresh blood transfusion were screened for cytomegalovirus (CMV). Complement‐fixing antibody to CMV was present in 55%, but no CMV was isolated. The 21 blood donors, for two of the 10 patients who became infected with CMV post‐operatively, were recalled, but there was no evidence of recent infection with CMV.Of the 10 patients, three died and could therefore not be studied in the post‐operative period. Of the remaining seven patients, one excreted the virus pre‐ and post‐operatively, and three acquired CMV post‐operatively, after receiving fresh blood with complement‐fixing titres to CMV ranging from 1/8 to 1/128. None of the three non‐CMV infected patients had antibody to CMV; one received CMV antibody‐free fresh blood and the other two received fresh blood with titres ranging from 1/16 to 1/64.These results are discussed and, though numbers are small, the question of using blood within 36 hr of donation should be carefully reconsidered because of the risk of cytomegalovirus transmission.