Risk for Hepatitis E Virus Transmission by Solvent/Detergent-Treated Plasma.

Area of Science:

• Transfusion Medicine
• Virology
• Infectious Diseases

Background:

• Hepatitis E virus (HEV) poses a significant risk for transfusion-transmitted infections.
• Solvent/detergent (S/D) treatment is a method used to inactivate enveloped viruses in plasma products.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the risk of HEV transmission via S/D-treated plasma.
• To determine the relationship between HEV RNA viral load and transfusion-transmitted hepatitis E.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of recipients who received S/D-treated plasma from two lots (A and B) with detectable HEV RNA.
• Correlation of HEV RNA viral load in transfused plasma with infection rates in recipients.

Main Results:

• Two recipients of S/D-treated plasma were infected with HEV, with HEV RNA loads of 433 IU (lot A) and 55 IU (lot B).
• Lot A recipients had a 100% infection rate, while lot B recipients had an 18% infection rate (p<0.001).
• Recipients transfused with plasma containing >50,000 IU HEV RNA had an 86% infection rate, versus 7% for those with <50,000 IU (p<0.001).

Conclusions:

• Solvent/detergent-treated plasma can harbor infectious HEV.
• Transfusion-transmitted hepatitis E risk appears to be dose-dependent on the HEV RNA viral load in the plasma product.