Transmission of HIV by transfusion of HIV-screened blood: the value of a national register. The 'Recipients' Study Group of the French Society of Blood Transfusion.

A National Register of transfusion-transmitted infections was opened by the French Society of Blood Transfusion on 1 October, 1986. Out of 54 initially reported cases of HIV-infection, allegedly transmitted by blood components, further investigation could be completed in 33 cases. The transfusional origin of contamination was considered as established or probable in 28/33 cases, either because a potentially infectious unit was identified among those transfused to the recipient (23/28), or because the recipient was known to be seronegative before transfusion (5/28), or both (10/28). In 5/33 cases transfusion was considered as presumably responsible for contamination because no other risk factor was found in the recipient. Among the 33 documented cases of HIV-transmission by screened blood, 29 (88%) occurred between 1985 and 1987, and four (12%) during 1988. Out of 19 implicated donors later found seropositive, 16 belonged to a high-risk group for HIV-infection. The majority of HIV-infections occurred as a consequence of blood donation in the window period between contamination and the appearance of detectable antibodies in the donor's serum (11/19). In three instances, however, human and operational errors led to the release of seropositive units. We conclude that the main value of this Register is to provide a potential trend-indicator of transfusion-related infectious risks, to allow objective documentation of reported cases and to contribute to the improvement of blood transfusion practice.