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Blood Donors with Indeterminate Anti‐p24 gag Reactivity in HIV‐1 Western Blot: Absence of Infectivity to Transfused Patients and in Virus Culture
Author(s) -
Poel C.L.,
Lelie P.N.,
Reesink H. W.,
ExelOehlers P.J.,
Tersmette M.,
Akker R.,
Gonzalves M.,
Huisman J. G.
Publication year - 1989
Publication title -
vox sanguinis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.68
H-Index - 83
eISSN - 1423-0410
pISSN - 0042-9007
DOI - 10.1111/j.1423-0410.1989.tb02020.x
Subject(s) - infectivity , virology , indeterminate , western blot , virus , medicine , human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) , immunology , blood donor , viral disease , biology , genetics , mathematics , pure mathematics , gene
. During a follow‐up period of 23–40 months, 7 regular blood donors had persistently, and 4 had intermittently indeterminate anti‐p24 gag reactivity in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)‐1 Western Blot. Serological testing and viral cultures revealed that these donors had no signs of infection for HIV‐1, HIV‐2, human T‐cell lymphotropic virus (HTLV)‐4, and HTLV‐1. Extensive interviewing and physical examination of these donors revealed neither risk factors, nor signs of HIV infection in the tested donors. Ten recipients, who were transfused with blood products from 6 of these 11 anti‐p24 gag ‐positive donors, were traced back. Six months after transfusion, no serological or clinical signs of HIV‐1, HIV‐2, or HTLV‐1 infection were observed in these patients. It is concluded that blood donors with persistent or intermittent anti‐p24 gag reactivity in HIV‐1 Western Blot, without development of antibodies to other HIV‐encoded proteins in later blood samples, do not transmit the described retroviruses to transfused patients.