Screening plasma donors for high-titre antibody to cytomegalovirus using a latex agglutination test. 1990

C McDonald, and J A Barbara, and A al-Izzi, and M Contreras
Department of Microbiology, North London Blood Transfusion Centre, UK.

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) can cause severe morbidity in immunosuppressed patients. Regional transfusion centres in the UK are required to supply high-titre anti-CMV plasma to the Blood Products Laboratory (BPL), now called 'Bio-Products Laboratory', for the production of specific intravenous immunoglobulin at the Protein Fractionation Centre in Scotland. For this purpose, 703 plasmapheresis donors were screened by a modified latex agglutination test to assess their suitability as donors with high-titre anti-CMV. CMV antibodies were found in 48% of the donors. Seropositivity increased with age ranging from 33% in the 20- to 29-year age group to 57% in the 40-49 age group, although the 50-59 age group showed a slight decline to 53%. In all age ranges except the 40-49 group, seropositivity was highest in the female population. With the latex test, 14% of the total donors screened had a titre greater than or equal to 1 in 64, 7% greater than or equal to 1 in 128 and 4.2% greater than or equal to 1 in 256. Samples from 18 donors with titres greater than or equal to 1 in 128 were sent to BPL and all samples were found to have a sufficiently high titre for the production of CMV immune plasma. For BPL the 'cut-off' level for CMV immune plasma is a titre greater than or equal to 1 in 64 by complement fixation. Since the establishment of a panel of donors with high-titre anti-CMV plasma, more than 10 kg of plasma are dispatched monthly from our centre to BPL.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D007841 Latex Fixation Tests Passive agglutination tests in which antigen is adsorbed onto latex particles which then clump in the presence of antibody specific for the adsorbed antigen. (From Stedman, 26th ed) Latex Agglutination Tests,Agglutination Test, Latex,Agglutination Tests, Latex,Fixation Test, Latex,Fixation Tests, Latex,Latex Agglutination Test,Latex Fixation Test,Test, Latex Agglutination,Test, Latex Fixation,Tests, Latex Agglutination,Tests, Latex Fixation
D008297 Male Males
D008403 Mass Screening Organized periodic procedures performed on large groups of people for the purpose of detecting disease. Screening,Mass Screenings,Screening, Mass,Screenings,Screenings, Mass
D008875 Middle Aged An adult aged 45 - 64 years. Middle Age
D010949 Plasma The residual portion of BLOOD that is left after removal of BLOOD CELLS by CENTRIFUGATION without prior BLOOD COAGULATION. Blood Plasma,Fresh Frozen Plasma,Blood Plasmas,Fresh Frozen Plasmas,Frozen Plasma, Fresh,Frozen Plasmas, Fresh,Plasma, Blood,Plasma, Fresh Frozen,Plasmas,Plasmas, Blood,Plasmas, Fresh Frozen
D010956 Plasmapheresis Procedure whereby plasma is separated and extracted from anticoagulated whole blood and the red cells retransfused to the donor. Plasmapheresis is also employed for therapeutic use. Double Filtration Plasmapheresis,Therapeutic Immunoadsorption,Therapeutic Plasma Adsorption,Therapeutic Plasmapheresis,Adsorption, Therapeutic Plasma,Adsorptions, Therapeutic Plasma,Double Filtration Plasmaphereses,Filtration Plasmapheresis, Double,Immunoadsorption, Therapeutic,Plasma Adsorption, Therapeutic,Plasmaphereses,Plasmapheresis, Double Filtration,Plasmapheresis, Therapeutic,Therapeutic Immunoadsorptions,Therapeutic Plasma Adsorptions,Therapeutic Plasmaphereses
D001782 Blood Donors Individuals supplying blood or blood components for transfer to histocompatible recipients. Blood Donor,Donor, Blood,Donors, Blood
D003587 Cytomegalovirus A genus of the family HERPESVIRIDAE, subfamily BETAHERPESVIRINAE, infecting the salivary glands, liver, spleen, lungs, eyes, and other organs, in which they produce characteristically enlarged cells with intranuclear inclusions. Infection with Cytomegalovirus is also seen as an opportunistic infection in AIDS. Herpesvirus 5, Human,Human Herpesvirus 5,Salivary Gland Viruses,HHV 5,Herpesvirus 5 (beta), Human,Cytomegaloviruses,Salivary Gland Virus,Virus, Salivary Gland,Viruses, Salivary Gland
D005260 Female Females
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man

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