All Blood Components Can Transmit Prion Disease after a Single Blood Transfusion
Author Information
Author(s): McCutcheon Sandra, Alejo Blanco, Anthony Richard, Houston E. Fiona, de Wolf Christopher, Tan Boon Chin, Smith Antony, Groschup Martin H., Hunter Nora, Hornsey Valerie S., MacGregor Ian R., Prowse Christopher V., Turner Marc, Manson Jean C.
Primary Institution: The Roslin Institute and Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh
Hypothesis
Which blood components used in human medicine pose the greatest risk of transmitting vCJD via transfusion?
Conclusion
All blood components can transmit prion disease following a single transfusion, and leucoreduction does not prevent disease transmission.
Supporting Evidence
- All blood components, including red cell concentrates, plasma, and platelets, were shown to transmit BSE.
- Leucoreduction did not prevent the transmission of prion disease.
- Positive transmissions of BSE occurred from blood collected from healthy donors.
- Transmission efficiency varied among different blood components.
- Blood collected early in the pre-clinical phase of disease was infectious.
Takeaway
If you get a blood transfusion, any part of the blood can make you sick with a disease called vCJD, even if the blood looks healthy.
Methodology
The study used a sheep model to test the infectivity of various blood components collected from BSE-infected sheep.
Potential Biases
Potential bias in the selection of donor sheep and the timing of blood collection.
Limitations
The study is based on an animal model, which may not fully replicate human responses.
Participant Demographics
Sheep of the ARQ/ARQ PrP genotype were used as donors.
Statistical Information
P-Value
p<1×10−5
Statistical Significance
p<1×10−5
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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