[Relevance of transmission of Epstein-Barr virus through blood transfusion]

In order to investigate the risk of transmission of Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) by red cell concentrates (RCCs, bottom and top system), we examined 15 EBV-seronegative pediatric patients who received EBV-seropositive red cell concentrates prior to and up to 11 weeks after transfusion. None of these children showed serological or clinical signs of active EBV infection. To further explore this situation we estimated the number of EBV genomes in RCCs in comparison with whole blood units and found a significant reduction (1-2 EBV genomes in one RCC compared with 600-700 in one whole blood unit, p < 0.1%). The use of modern leukocyte depletion systems dramatically reduces the number of EBV-positive cells in RCCs, minimizing the risk of EBV infection. As there were no hints of transmission of EBV in current transfusion practice, the provision of EBV-seronegative RCCs for patients with high risk of infection does not seem to be necessary.