The prevalence of Chagas disease has decreased in the Americas region due to vector control measures. However, non-vectorial transmission through blood transfusions and organ transplantation has gained importance in recent years. Screening among blood and organ donors are essential to reduce Trypanosoma cruzi transmission and could provide information to estimate population prevalence. We conducted a cross-sectional study on the prevalence of immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies against T. cruzi in healthy blood donors, solid organ donors and heart transplant recipients from 2012 to 2019. We found a total of 99 357 IgG T. cruzi results during the study period. The cumulative seroprevalence in healthy blood donors was 0.13% (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.10–0.15), in organ donors was 0.53% (95% CI 0.06–1.92) and in heart transplant recipients was 3.03 (95% CI 0.07–15.75). Seroprevalence trend in healthy blood donors showed annual increase between 2012 and 2015, decreasing in the following years. No trend was seen in organ donors neither heart recipients. Adjusted rates did not show difference by sex and age among blood donors. No significant increases in seroprevalence T. cruzi were found during the study period. T. cruzi transmission remains low.

Visceral leishmaniasis is an endemic protozoonosis observed in over 60 countries, with over 500 000 new cases recorded annually. Although the diagnostic procedure of its symptomatic forms is well established, for asymptomatic patients, who represent about 85% of those infected, there is no consensus on the best method for its identification. Recent studies have presented molecular techniques as viable identification methods, with good sensitivity and specificity indices in asymptomatic individuals. Therefore, we aimed to use molecular methods to assess their effectiveness in identifying the presence of asymptomatic infection by Leishmania infantum (L. infantum) individuals from endemic regions of Brazil. Screening was performed by real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and confirmed by sequencing the cytochrome B gene. Of the 127 samples [from 608 blood donors who had participated in a previous study, of which 34 were positive by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) rK39] tested by qPCR, 31 (24.4%) were positive. In the sequencing of 10 qPCR-positive samples, five were identified as L. infantum. Complimentary samples of the ELISA rK39 and conventional PCR showed only reasonable and low agreement with qPCR, respectively. The qPCR confirmed the presence of infection in five of the 10 sequenced samples, ELISA confirmed three, and the conventional PCR confirmed none.

While the majority of worldwide hepatitis E viral (HEV) infections that occur in people are from contaminated water or food sources, there has also been a steadily rising number of reported cases of transfusion-transmitted HEV (TT-HEV) in blood donation recipients. For most, HEV infection is acute, self-limiting and asymptomatic. However, patients that are immunocompromised, especially transplant patients, are at much higher risk for developing chronic infections, which can progress to cirrhosis and liver failure, along with overall increased mortality. Because of the rising trend of HEV serological prevalence among the global population, and the fact that TT-HEV infection can cause serious clinical consequences among those patients most at need for blood donation, the need for screening for TT-HEV has been gaining in prominence as an important public health concern for both developing and developed countries. In the review, we summarise evidence for and notable cases of TT-HEV infections, the various aspects of HEV screening protocols and recent trends in the implementation of TT-HEV broad-based blood screening programmes.

Serosurveys have established data about the distribution of immunoglobulin G (IgG)-antibodies to pertussis toxin (PT) in various populations. We tried to detect whether small serosurveys in blood donors could serve as a simple and inexpensive means to collect information about the circulation of Bordetella pertussis. We screened every donation in 307 adult blood donors aged 19–69 years for IgG-anti-PT by standardised enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA), and the donors were followed between 2014 and 2016 for a total of 426 person-years. When we used a vertical survey with cut-offs of 100, 62.5 and 40 IU/ml, respectively, as an indicator for recent contacts with B. pertussis, nine (2.9%), 22 (7.2%) and 54 (17.6%) of donors had IgG-anti-PT titres above the respective levels. During the horizontal observation period of 426 person years, six significant increases and two conversions were found, which lead to an estimate of 1878 contacts/100.000 person-years (1.9% per year). Median and mean IgG-anti-PT concentrations remained relatively stable from year to year during the observation period. Our findings show that small serosurveys of blood donors offer a simple and cheap method for the surveillance of B. pertussis.

Chagas disease is an important emerging disease in Texas that results in cardiomyopathy in about 30% of those infected with the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi. Between the years 2008 and 2012, about 1/6500 blood donors were T. cruzi antibody-confirmed positive. We found older persons and minority populations, particularly Hispanic, at highest risk for screening positive for T. cruzi antibodies during routine blood donation. Zip code analysis determined that T. cruzi is associated with poverty. Chagas disease has a significant disease burden and is a cause of substantial economic losses in Texas.

This study aimed to determine the relationship between hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and ABO/Rhesus blood groups, age and sex. A total of 20 000 patients who came to donate blood in the blood bank of GSVM Medical College, Kanpur were enrolled in the study. Demographic data recorded for each patient included age, sex and blood group. Blood samples were tested for anti-HCV antibodies and ABO/Rhesus blood group antigen typing was performed. The overall positive rate of anti-HCV was 0·34%. We found that seropositivity for HCV increased with age. Anti-HCV antibodies were detected in 1/765 women (0·13%), compared to 67/19 235 men (0·35%). Seroprevalence of HCV was found to be higher in blood group O individuals (0·42%) and lowest in blood group AB individuals (0·04%). The results of this study demonstrate that that HCV infection may not be related to age and sex but the possible association of blood group antigens with HCV infection cannot be ruled out.

A total of 522 Danish blood donors were followed during 2004–2005 to describe the seroepidemiology of Legionella infections in healthy individuals from a general population. Antibodies to Legionella spp. were measured by indirect immunofluorescence antibody test. The prevalence of Legionella antibodies (titre ⩾1:128) was 26·8% and remained fairly constant during the year of follow-up. However, 6·9% of the blood donors developed a fourfold or greater rise in antibody titres. A history of visits to Danish summer cottages was associated with both Legionella seropositivity (OR 1·53, 95% CI 1·02–2·30) and seroconversion (OR 2·66, 95% CI 1·21–5·83). There were no consistent associations between either levels of antibody titres or seroconversion and self-reported health symptoms, absence from work due to illness, or to any risk factors. We conclude that community-acquired Legionella infections are frequent; however, they rarely result in severe illness.

Background: Despite the growing medical and public interest in reducing exposure to allogeneic blood, little is known about the use of alternatives to allogeneic transfusion. This study was conducted to determine the availability of these technologies in Canadian hospitals and was undertaken under the auspices of the International Study of Peri-Operative Transfusion (ISPOT), a 10-country study of the effectiveness of, attitudes toward, and practices related to the use of alternatives to allogeneic transfusion.

Methods: A cross-sectional national mail survey of Canadian hospitals with greater than 50 medical/surgical beds. Chiefs of anesthesia, surgery, and the divisions of cardiac, orthopedic, vascular, and urology were initially mailed a brief postcard asking which of seven technologies were used in their center. This was then followed up with a one-page questionnaire asking how frequently the technologies were used, their thoughts on the appropriateness of the use of the technologies, barriers to their greater use, and reasons for nonuse of the technologies.

Results: Response rates to the postcard survey ranged from 70%–98%, depending on the technology and type of surgery, and ranged from 27%–53% for the follow-up questionnaire. All technologies were used most frequently in cardiac surgery. Aprotinin, tranexamic acid, aminocaproic acid, desmopressin, and cell salvage were reported used in over 70% of cardiac surgery centers. Of these, tranexamic acid and cell salvage were the only ones used routinely in some centers. Acute normovolemic hemodilution and erythropoietin were used in 45% and 20% of cardiac centers, respectively. The drugs were used in less than 15% of orthopedic, vascular, and urologic divisions, with the exception of desmopressin in urologic and vascular surgery and aminocaproic acid in urologic surgery. The techniques of cell salvage and acute normovolemic hemodilution were used in 30%–45% of these divisions, with the exception of cell salvage, which was used in less than 15% of urology units. In more than 60% of cases, the technologies were considered to be used “about right,” although an important minority felt that they were underused.

Conclusions: In general, alternatives to perioperative allogeneic transfusion were rarely used except in cardiac surgery.