[Parvovirus B19 DNA testing in Polish blood donors, 2004-2010]

Since 2004 Polish blood donors have been tested for parvovirus B19 (B19V) DNA. The screening testing has been performed in donors of plasma for fractionation and anti-D and anti-HBs production and donors of erythrocytes used for immunization. AIM is to present methods of the testing, quality control and results in period 2004-2010.

Testing was performed in individual donation testing (IDT) in Regional Blood Transfusion Center (RBTC) in Lublin or in pools of 24 in Institute of Haematology and Transfusion Medicine in Warsaw (IHTM). Quantitative testing with real-time PCR was preceded with nucleic acid isolation on silica based methods (Prepito Viral DNA/RNA, Chemagen and QIAamp DNA Mini Kit, QIAGEN). Amplification was performed initially with home made method and later with commercial assay (Artus Parvo B19 RG PCR Kit on Rotor Gene 6 000). In total 17 625 donations were tested: 8 539 in pools and 9 090 individually. Beside routine external quality control programmes in which both laboratories participated (Proficiency Study VQC,Amsterdam, Holand; EQA Programe, Glasgow, Scotland), panel containing negative samples, positive with very high DNA B 19V level and plasma infected with genotype 2 was prepared for RBTC in Lublin.

B19V infection frequency was 1:980 donations, low viraemic donations were detected most frequently (1:1 037). It was identified only one donation with DNA load that could cause potential health risk for plasma product recipients (1:17 625). In one of the donors B 19V DNA was observed for 3 years and 3 months. In acute or persistent phase of infection no clinical or laboratory symptoms (morphology of peripheral blood, ALT) were observed. Due to risk of underestimation of viral load connected with viral genome polymorphism all donations with B19V positive result were not allowed to be clinically used.