An update on donor-derived disease transmission in organ transplantation

Several recent donor-to-recipient disease transmissions have highlighted the importance of this rare complication of solid organ transplantation. The epidemiology of donor-derived disease transmissions in the United States has been described through reports to the Organ Procurement and Transplant Network (OPTN); these reports are reviewed and categorized by the ad hoc Disease Transmission Advisory Committee (DTAC); additional data comes through the published literature. From these reports, it is possible to estimate that donor-derived disease transmission complicates less than 1% of all transplant procedures but when a transmission occurs, significant morbidity and mortality can result. Only through continued presentation of the available data can continuous quality improvements be made. As the epidemiology of donor-derived disease transmission has become better understood, several groups have been working on methods to further mitigate this risk.