TRANSFUSION OF BLOOD COMPONENTS FROM A DONOR WITH HUMAN T-LYMPHOTROPIC VIRUS TYPE-II (HTLV-II) INFECTION

Human T-lymphotropic virus (HTLV) can be transmitted by transfusion, but the incidence of infection by antibody-positive blood donations in the United States has not been determined. Retrospective testing of stored serum specimens identified a 39-year-old woman who had HTLV antibodies at the time of making a blood donation in October 1984. Follow-up in 1989 confirmed her HTLV infection, and polymerase chain reaction studies characterized it as a type II strain. Tracing components from the index donation and 13 subsequent donations identified nine living recipients. Two of three persons receiving platelets had HTLV-II infection; five recipients of packed red blood cells (all stored 11 days or longer) and one recipient of cryoprecipitate were negative, by both serologic testing and polymerase chain reaction study. These findings suggest a low risk for HTLV-II transmission by packed red cells for which shelf storage is more than 1 week, but a higher risk for infection by fresher cellular components.