[Cytomegalovirus transmission following a blood transfusion]

In order to assess the incidence of anti-CMV antibodies in blood donors and the possible transmission of infection in blood transfusions, 900 donors, 60 patients serum negative or positive patients given serum positive blood and 5 immature serum negative patients given serum negative blood were examined. At 67.11% the incidence of anti-CMV antibodies in the donors was in line with reports in the literature. It was also noted that reinfection arose when serum positive blood was given (36.36% of the serum negative patients and 10.52% of the serum positive ones developed anti-CMV antibodies indicating infection or reinfection; none of the 5 immature patients revealed anti-CMV antibodies). It is concluded that the routine search for anti-CMV antibodies is impracticable given the high incidence of serum-positive donors and that the technique should be reserved for particular cases: the young, the pregnant, transplant patients, immunodepressed subjects. However the best way to prevent the transmission of disease remains the avoidance of unnecessary transfusions.