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Establishment of an immunoglobulin A–deficient blood donor registry with a simple in‐house screening enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay
Author(s) -
Thibault Louis,
Beauséjour Annie,
De Grandmont Marie Joëlle,
Long Anne,
Goldman Mindy,
Chevrier MarieClaire
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
transfusion
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.045
H-Index - 132
eISSN - 1537-2995
pISSN - 0041-1132
DOI - 10.1111/j.1537-2995.2006.01037.x
Subject(s) - antibody , medicine , immunology , immunoglobulin a , iga deficiency , blood transfusion , blood donor , pregnancy , immunoglobulin g , biology , genetics
BACKGROUND: Transfusion of blood products to immunoglobulin A (IgA)–deficient patients who have developed IgA antibodies can result in serious adverse reactions. To prepare compatible blood components for these patients, blood centers usually maintain a list of IgA‐deficient blood donors. An in‐house enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to identify new IgA‐deficient blood donors. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: An in‐house ELISA was used to screen blood samples. IgA‐deficient samples, defined as an IgA level below 0.05 mg per dL, were sent to the American Red Cross for confirmatory testing. RESULTS: Seventy‐three confirmed IgA‐deficient blood donors were identified among 38,759 screened blood donor samples (frequency, 1:531). IgA antibodies were found in 39 of these 73 blood donors (53%), although only 9 donors had a history of adult IgA exposure (transfusion or pregnancy). CONCLUSIONS: With a simple in‐house ELISA, 73 blood donors were identified as IgA‐deficient. From this number, 34 donors, without detectable anti‐IgA in their plasma, were added to our IgA‐deficient blood donor panel to maximize the management of our inventory of IgA‐deficient frozen blood components.