Selective IgA deficiency in Australian blood donors

Selective serum IgA deficiency (defined as a serum IgA level less than 50 mg/l) was detected in 14 of 6,191 Australian blood donors screened by double diffusion analysis of serum specimens in agarose. This prevalence rate of 0.23% (1 in 442) is the same as that found in blood donors in Sweden but is higher than rates found in blood donors in France (0.05%), Norway (0.08%), USA (0.15%). England (0.19%) and Finland (0.20%). Antibodies to human IgA were detected in the serum of three of 11 blood donors with selective IgA deficiency (27%). There was no evidence in the present study of blood transfusion reactions from these anti-IgA antibodies when they were transfused into recipients.