Transfusions and transplants spread West Nile virus. (Biomedicine).Donated blood and organs should be screened to prevent transmission of West Nile virus West Nile virus, microorganism and the infection resulting from it, which typically produces no symptoms or a flulike condition. The virus is a flavivirus and is related to a number of viruses that cause encephalitis. , federal officials say. In addition to bites from infected mosquitoes, which is the most common route of infection in both people and animals, blood and transplanted organs can also spread the virus, two recent investigations indicate. West Nile virus transmission has also been linked to breast-feeding breast-feeding /breast-feed·ing/ (brest´fed?ing) nursing; the feeding of an infant at the mother's breast. , but children are less likely than older adults to get sick from the virus (http://sciencenews.org/20021019/food.asp). Last year, the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. experienced an unprecedented 3,389 cases of human illness attributed to West Nile virus. They began on June 10 and lasted into November. In August, four people in two states became infected after receiving transplanted organs from the same donor. One of the four died. The organ donor organ donor Transplantation A person/cadaver that donates his/her organ(s) to a recipient was infected with West Nile virus through a blood transfusion blood transfusion, transfer of blood from one person to another, or from one animal to another of the same species. Transfusions are performed to replace a substantial loss of blood and as supportive treatment in certain diseases and blood disorders. shortly before dying from an injury, Martha Iwamoto and her colleagues at CDC See Control Data, century date change and Back Orifice. CDC - Control Data Corporation in Atlanta determined. They reached this conclusion after applying two tests for West Nile virus to tissue samples from the organ donor. Tissues collected just after the donor was injured were negative for the virus, but one taken later tested positive. In the interim, the patient had received units of blood from dozens of donors. A separate investigation identified at least 21 people nationwide who developed West Nile infections after receiving blood from infected donors. Twelve of the 21 developed West Nile meningoencephalitis meningoencephalitis /me·nin·go·en·ceph·a·li·tis/ (me-ning?go-en-sef?ah-li´tis) inflammation of the brain and meninges. toxoplasmic meningoencephalitis , the inflammation that's the most serious form of illness associated with the virus. Six of them died. The donors hadn't been diagnosed with West Nile disease when they donated blood, but they later tested positive for the virus, reports Lisa N. Pealer of CDC. To prevent infections in the future, researchers have developed tests to identify West Nile virus in donated blood and organs for transplantation. The U.S. government could approve the tests for routine screening of blood and organs as soon as this year. West Nile virus doesn't cause noticeable illness in most people, but a fraction of infected people develop fever or meningoencephalitis, and about 6 percent of those who fall ill die.--B.H. |
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