HIV infection of multiply-transfused pediatric oncology patients in a low-prevalence area

We attempted to determine the occurrence of transfusion-acquired HIV-1 infection in multiply-transfused pediatric oncology patients receiving blood products prior to donor HIV antibody screening in March 1985. We identified 85 multiply-transfused pediatric oncology patients (initially HIV-1 antibody negative) who had received 4,346 transfusions (968 red blood cells, 3,192 platelets, 137 fresh frozen plasma, and 49 leukocytes). Only one (1.2%) of these multiply-transfused pediatric oncology patients seroconverted following transfusion. Transfusion-acquired HIV-1 infection in our multiply-transfused pediatric oncology patients was infrequent despite marked exposure to blood products (average 51.2 donor exposures per multiply transfused pediatric oncology patients) and occurred at a frequency consistent with the prevalence of HIV-1 infection in our donor population (Central Ohio--2 of 10,000 donors were HIV-1 antibody positive). While our findings may not be unexpected, they offer documentation of a lower risk for transfusion-acquired HIV infection in our blood recipients than in some previous studies conducted in areas where donor HIV antibody prevalence is higher. We also document that the efforts associated with performing "Lookback" evaluations (contacting recipients of blood products from donors subsequently identified as HIV antibody positive) are valuable since our only HIV-1-infected, multiply-transfused pediatric oncology patient was identified in this manner.