BACKGROUND: Hepatitis B infection can be transmitted by organ or tissue transplantation. CASE REPORT: A 40-year-old man received a bone graft from a donor who tested negative for HbsAg with a static-mode assay. The same donor, on a subsequent donation, was found to be HbsAg-positive with a dynamic mode assay. The archival sample from the initial donation also tested HbsAg-positive with the dynamic-mode assay. The recipient of the bone, who had received HBV vaccine in the past, did not develop clinical or laboratory evidence of HBV infection. CONCLUSIONS: This case highlights the importance of sensitive microbiological test protocols in the context of tissue banking.
BACKGROUND:Hepatitis B infection can be transmitted by organ or tissue transplantation. CASE REPORT: A 40-year-old man received a bone graft from a donor who tested negative for HbsAg with a static-mode assay. The same donor, on a subsequent donation, was found to be HbsAg-positive with a dynamic mode assay. The archival sample from the initial donation also tested HbsAg-positive with the dynamic-mode assay. The recipient of the bone, who had received HBV vaccine in the past, did not develop clinical or laboratory evidence of HBV infection. CONCLUSIONS: This case highlights the importance of sensitive microbiological test protocols in the context of tissue banking.