[Cytomegalovirus and blood transfusion]

Cytomegalovirus infection can be transmitted by transfusion of leucocyte-containing blood products (i.e. red cells and platelets). In otherwise healthy persons this virus infection causes a mild mononucleosis-like syndrome. In immunocompromised patients (neonatal patients if birth weight is less than 1200 grams; immunodeficiencies; haematological malignancies; bone marrow transplanted patients) a cytomegalovirus infection can be fatal. The transmission of cytomegalovirus by blood can be avoided by using seronegative blood donors. Recent experiences indicate that efficient removal of viable leukocytes by filtration (which removes more than log-3 of leukocytes) will prevent transmission of cytomegalovirus infection even when using blood from seropositive blood donors. All cellular blood products for the risk groups must be filtrated in any case, to avoid HLA-immunization and graft-versus-host reaction. Since this filtration seems to prevent the transmission of cytomegalovirus, the cost of screening of blood donors for anti-cytomegalovirus-antibodies is an unnecessary expense.