Preventing Transfusion of Infectious Blood Negative for Human Immunodeficiency Virus Antibodies (Anti-HIV)

Excerpt

To the Editor: The recent article (1) on human immunodeficiency virus antibody (anti-HIV) seroreversion from positive to negative in asymptomatic persons infected with HIV brings up again an issue that has been of concern to blood bankers for some time—the potential transmission of HIV infection from an anti-HIV negative blood donation (2). The accompanying editorial (3) appropriately emphasizes the rarity of such a potential and lists many of the actions of the blood-banking community (in addition to donor testing) that should prevent most such occurences. Included were asking persons at increased risk for the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) not to