Occurrence of HBsAg, anti-HBs, the anti-CMV following the transfusion of blood products.

A retrospective study of the serum of 104 patients treated at Chelsea Naval Hospital between 1969 and 1972 was done. The donor blood products were not tested for the hepatitis B antigen before transfusion. The incidence of hepatitis B antigen following transfusion was about 2.8 per cent. The incidence of antibody to HBsAg prior to transfusion was 16 per cent, and about 27 per cent of the patients developed antibody to HBsAg following transfusion. The incidence of antibody to cytomegalovirus was about 22 per cent before transfusion, and 22 per cent of the patients developed complement fixing antibody against cytomegalovirus after transfusion. Since the patients received a variety of blood products it was not possible to determine retrsopectively which product, if any, produced the lowest incidence of hepatitis B antigen and transmission of cytomegalovirus.