Infectious Disease Compendium

Transfusion Infections

Diagnosis

Depends on the organisms and the donor. (Review)

Epidemiologic Risks

Getting blood, either as transfusion or recreational (i.e. IVDA) .

Transfusions are immunosuppressive, the more liberal the transfusion, the more hospital acquired infections (PubMed).

Microbiology

Anaplasma (PubMed), Babesiosis, Bacillus spp., Brucella spp., Coagulase-negative Staphylococcus, Cytomegalovirus, E. coli, Ehrlichia, Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, Hepatitis D, HIV, Human T-cell lymphotropic virus, Malaria, any gram-negative rod, Parvovirus B19, Q fever, Relapsing fever, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Serratia spp, Syphilis, Trypanosoma cruzii, West Nile, Yersinia enterocolitica.

Empiric Therapy

See the specific organism.

Pearls

Risk from a unit of blood (PubMed):

HIV: 1 in 493,000.

HTLV: 1 in 641,000.

HCV: 1 in 103,000.

HBV: 1 in 63,000.

Last Update: 03/12/19.