Table 1.
Nonexhaustive list of infectious agents that (can) adversely affect the availability and safety of blood supplies
| Infectious agent | Observations |
|---|---|
| Viruses | |
| Influenza viruses | Major impact on donor availability, to date no published reports of transmission of influenza viruses through transfusion |
| Hepatitis viruses: A, B, C, D, E | Hepatitis B and C viruses are part of the basic mandatory screening of donors and donated blood |
| Herpesviruses: Epstein–Barr virus, human cytomegalovirus, human herpesvirus 8 | With particular relevance for transfusion in patients with reduced immune protection capacity (neonates, conditions associated with immune deficiency) |
| Retroviruses: human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1 and HIV-2), human T cell lymphotrophic virus (HTLV-I and HTLV-II) | HIV-1 and HIV-2 are part of the basic mandatory screening of donors and donated blood HIV1 (with three genetic groups, nine known subtypes and recombinants) accounts for over 90% of HIV infections worldwide |
| Erythroviruses: parvovirus B19 | Documented transmission through transfusion of untreated pooled components and organ transplantation |
| Mosquito-borne viruses: West Nile virus (WNV), chikungunya virus, dengue virus | Increasing geographic spread in recent decades, mandatory seasonal testing for WNV introduced in affected areas |
| Bacteria | |
| Treponema pallidum | Syphilis, part of the basic mandatory screening of donors and donated blood |
| Borrelia burgdorferi | Lyme disease |
| Brucella melitensis | Brucellosis |
| Coxiella burnetii | Q fever |
| Parasites | |
| Plasmodium species: P. falciparum, P. vivax, P. ovale, P. malariae | Malaria, reemergence due to climate change in recent years, donor deferral policies and available immunological testing |
| Trypanosoma cruzi | Chagas' disease |
| Toxoplasma gondii | Toxoplasmosis |
| Leishmania donovani | Leishmaniosis |
| Babesia microti | Babesiosis |
| Nonconventional agents | |
| Prions | Variant Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease |