PMID- 9152342
OWN - NLM
STAT- MEDLINE
DCOM- 19970605
LR  - 20201230
IS  - 0025-729X (Print)
IS  - 0025-729X (Linking)
VI  - 166
IP  - 9
DP  - 1997 May 5
TI  - Is screening of Australian blood donors for HTLV-I necessary?
PG  - 478-81
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To re-examine the 1992 decision by Australian Red Cross for its blood 
      banks to screen blood donors for antibody to human T-cell lymphotropic virus type 
      I (HTLV-I) by determining the risk of its transmission by blood transfusion. 
      METHODS: Data on patterns of return behaviour by repeat blood donors in Victoria 
      were modelled to deduce the number of donors giving repeat donations in Australia 
      from March 1993 to December 1995. Data on annual donor and issued cellular blood 
      products from 1992 to 1995 were obtained from national Red Cross statistics. From 
      the numbers of donations given by repeat donors, together with the number of new 
      donors, the number tested for HTLV-I was deduced. The number and characteristics 
      of donors screened positive for HTLV-I antibody were collated. The crude 
      prevalence of HTLV-I was calculated by dividing the number of donors with HTLV-I 
      by the total number of donors (repeat donors and new donors). The incidence of 
      HTLV-I was calculated by dividing the number of seroconversions in repeat donors 
      by the cumulative period of donor exposure. RESULTS: Sixteen homologous and five 
      autologous donors were found to be positive for HTLV-I; none seroconverted and no 
      clear risk factors for HTLV-I were identified. The prevalence of HTLV-I in 
      Australian donors is 1 in 100,000 and the incidence less than 1 in 1 million 
      person-years. In the absence of HTLV-I screening, the calculated risk of a 
      transfused patient developing HTLV-I infection is 1 in 370,000, with a risk of 
      developing HTLV-I disease of 1 in 9 to 15 million. CONCLUSION: Three possible 
      future courses of action for screening for HTLV-I are to screen every donation, 
      to screen only new donors or to discontinue screening altogether. Using the 
      information in this study, public discussion should be encouraged to assist 
      stakeholders to agree on an acceptable level of risk and an appropriate level of 
      screening for HTLV-I in Australia.
FAU - Whyte, G S
AU  - Whyte GS
AD  - Australian Red Cross, Blood Bank of Victoria, Southbank. rcbb@peg.apc.org
LA  - eng
PT  - Journal Article
PL  - Australia
TA  - Med J Aust
JT  - The Medical journal of Australia
JID - 0400714
SB  - IM
CIN - Med J Aust. 1997 May 5;166(9):454-5. PMID: 9152336
MH  - Adolescent
MH  - Adult
MH  - Aged
MH  - Australia
MH  - *Blood Donors/statistics & numerical data
MH  - Blood Transfusion/standards/statistics & numerical data
MH  - Female
MH  - HTLV-I Infections/*prevention & control/*transmission
MH  - Humans
MH  - Male
MH  - Mass Screening
MH  - Middle Aged
MH  - Victoria
EDAT- 1997/05/05 00:00
MHDA- 1997/05/05 00:01
CRDT- 1997/05/05 00:00
PHST- 1997/05/05 00:00 [pubmed]
PHST- 1997/05/05 00:01 [medline]
PHST- 1997/05/05 00:00 [entrez]
AID - 10.5694/j.1326-5377.1997.tb123220.x [doi]
PST - ppublish
SO  - Med J Aust. 1997 May 5;166(9):478-81. doi: 10.5694/j.1326-5377.1997.tb123220.x.