03143nas a2200289   4500008004100000020001400041024001700055245009200072210006900164260033800233300001600571490000800587520197900595100001702574700002002591700001902611700002202630700001602652700001902668700002102687700002002708700001802728700001702746700001902763700002202782856004902804       2003                        eng d  a0028-4793  a0255562, now00aTransmission of West Nile Virus through Blood Transfusion in the United States in 2002.0 aTransmission of West Nile Virus through Blood Transfusion in the  aCopyright (C) 2003 Massachusetts Medical Society. All rights reserved.bFor the West Nile Virus Transmission Investigation Team*From the Epidemic Intelligence Service, Division of Applied Public Health Training, Epidemiology Program Office (L.N.P.), and the Division of Viral and Rickettsial Diseases, National Center for Infecc2003  a1236 - 12450 v3493 aBackground: During the 2002 West Nile virus epidemic in the United States, patients were identified whose West Nile virus illness was temporally associated with the receipt of transfused blood and blood components., Methods: Patients with laboratory evidence of recent West Nile virus infection within four weeks after receipt of a blood component from a donor with viremia were considered to have a confirmed transfusion-related infection. We interviewed the donors of these components, asking them whether they had had symptoms compatible with the presence of a viral illness before or after their donation; blood specimens retained from the time of donation and collected at follow-up were tested for West Nile virus., Results: Twenty-three patients were confirmed to have acquired West Nile virus through transfused leukoreduced and nonleukoreduced red cells, platelets, or fresh-frozen plasma. Of the 23 recipients, 10 (43 percent) were immunocompromised owing to transplantation or cancer and 8 (35 percent) were at least 70 years of age. Immunocompromised recipients tended to have longer incubation periods than nonimmunocompromised recipients and infected persons in mosquito-borne community outbreaks. Sixteen donors with evidence of viremia at donation were linked to the 23 infected recipients; of these donors, 9 reported viral symptoms before or after donation, 5 were asymptomatic, and 2 were lost to follow-up. Fever, new rash, and painful eyes were independently associated with being an implicated donor with viremia rather than a donor without viremia. All 16 donors were negative for West Nile virus-specific IgM antibody at donation., Conclusions: Transfused red cells, platelets, and fresh-frozen plasma can transmit West Nile virus. Screening of potential donors with the use of nucleic acid-based assays for West Nile virus may reduce this risk., N Engl J Med 2003;349: 1236-45., Copyright (C) 2003 Massachusetts Medical Society. All rights reserved.1 aPealer, Lisa1 aMarfin, Anthony1 aPetersen, Lyle1 aLanciotti, Robert1 aPage, Peter1 aStramer, Susan1 aStobierski, Mary1 aSigns, Kimberly1 aNewman, Bruce1 aKapoor, Hema1 aGoodman, Jesse1 aChamberland, Mary  uhttps://www.notifylibrary.org/reference/4146