BACKGROUND: When xenotropic murine leukemia virus-related virus (XMRV) was first reported in association with chronic fatigue syndrome, it was suggested that it might offer a risk to blood safety. Thus, the prevalence of the virus among blood donors and, if present, its transmissibility by transfusion need to be defined. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Two populations of routine blood donor samples (1435 and 13,399) were obtained for prevalence evaluations; samples from a linked donor-recipient repository were also evaluated. Samples were tested for the presence of antibodies to XMRV-related recombinant antigens and/or for XMRV RNA, using validated, high-throughput systems. RESULTS: The presence of antibodies to XMRV could not be confirmed among a total of 17,249 blood donors or recipients (0%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0%-0.017%); 1763 tested samples were nonreactive for XMRV RNA (0%; 95% CI, 0%-0.17%). Evidence of infection was absent from 109 recipients and 830 evaluable blood samples tested after transfusion of a total of 3741 blood components. CONCLUSIONS: XMRV and related murine leukemia virus (MLV) markers are not present among a large population of blood donors and evidence of transfusion transmission could not be detected. Thus, these viruses do not currently pose a threat to blood recipient safety and further actions relating to XMRV and MLV are not justified.
BACKGROUND: When xenotropic murine leukemia virus-related virus (XMRV) was first reported in association with chronic fatigue syndrome, it was suggested that it might offer a risk to blood safety. Thus, the prevalence of the virus among blood donors and, if present, its transmissibility by transfusion need to be defined. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Two populations of routine blood donor samples (1435 and 13,399) were obtained for prevalence evaluations; samples from a linked donor-recipient repository were also evaluated. Samples were tested for the presence of antibodies to XMRV-related recombinant antigens and/or for XMRV RNA, using validated, high-throughput systems. RESULTS: The presence of antibodies to XMRV could not be confirmed among a total of 17,249 blood donors or recipients (0%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0%-0.017%); 1763 tested samples were nonreactive for XMRV RNA (0%; 95% CI, 0%-0.17%). Evidence of infection was absent from 109 recipients and 830 evaluable blood samples tested after transfusion of a total of 3741 blood components. CONCLUSIONS:XMRV and related murine leukemia virus (MLV) markers are not present among a large population of blood donors and evidence of transfusion transmission could not be detected. Thus, these viruses do not currently pose a threat to blood recipient safety and further actions relating to XMRV and MLV are not justified.
Authors: Deanna Lee; Jaydip Das Gupta; Christina Gaughan; Imke Steffen; Ning Tang; Ka-Cheung Luk; Xiaoxing Qiu; Anatoly Urisman; Nicole Fischer; Ross Molinaro; Miranda Broz; Gerald Schochetman; Eric A Klein; Don Ganem; Joseph L Derisi; Graham Simmons; John Hackett; Robert H Silverman; Charles Y Chiu Journal: PLoS One Date: 2012-09-18 Impact factor: 3.240
Authors: Simone A Glynn; Michael P Busch; Roger Y Dodd; Louis M Katz; Susan L Stramer; Harvey G Klein; Graham Simmons; Steven H Kleinman; Susan B Shurin Journal: Transfusion Date: 2012-06-13 Impact factor: 3.157
Authors: Jaydip Das Gupta; Ka-Cheung Luk; Ning Tang; Christina Gaughan; Eric A Klein; Eugene S Kandel; John Hackett; Robert H Silverman Journal: PLoS One Date: 2012-05-16 Impact factor: 3.240
Authors: Kumanan Wilson; Katherine M Atkinson; Dean A Fergusson; Adalsteinn Brown; Alan Forster; Malia S Q Murphy; Alan T Tinmouth; Jennifer Keelan Journal: J Risk Res Date: 2017-07-29