CLDF Title
Home | Contact Us | Bookmark
MASH HCC ALCOHOL LIVER DISEASE PEDIATRIC LIVER DISEASE
Embassy of Education
Webcasts Abstract Library LiverQ Academy National Conference Regional Conferences
 
Back  
 
Reuters Health Information (2004-10-28): Routine testing for viral RNA could improve safety of organ transplantation

Public Health

Routine testing for viral RNA could improve safety of organ transplantation

Last Updated: 2004-10-28 18:30:15 -0400 (Reuters Health)

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Routine testing for viral RNA in serum samples from transplant donors could help identify infected organs that would have been missed with standard screening methods, according to a report in the October 30th issue of The Lancet.

In the new study, Dr. Jean-Michel Pawlotsky, from Hopital Henri Mondor in Creteil, France, and colleagues used nucleic acid testing to look for HIV and hepatitic C virus (HCV) RNA in samples from 3049 donors. The subjects included 2236 organ donors, 636 tissue donors, and 177 cornea donors.

Five HCV RNA-positive donors were identified among the 2119 HCV-seronegative organ donors and one HCV RNA-positive donor was discovered among the 631 HCV-seronegative tissue donors, the researchers point out.

In contrast, nucleic acid testing failed to uncover any HIV-seronegative donors who were, in fact, HIV RNA-positive, the authors note.

While routine nucleic acid testing could improve transplantation safety, the researchers state that further studies are needed to determine the clinical significance, if any, of seronegative HCV viremia.

"Implementation of systematic nucleic acid testing screening of tissue (and cell) donors is highly feasible because viral testing can be done every day and can be based on standardised, partly automated, commercial techniques and procedures," Dr. Pawlotsky's team writes. In contrast, further technical refinements are required before such testing can be widely applied to screening of organ donors.

Lancet 2004;364:1611-1612.

 
 
 
 

Subscribe

Be the first to know about our latest upcoming programs and events!

CLDF

Follow us

The Chronic Liver Disease Foundation is a non-profit organization with content developed specifically for healthcare professionals.
© Copyright 2012-2025 Chronic Liver Disease Foundation. All rights reserved. This site is maintained as an educational resource for US healthcare providers only.
Use of this Web site is governed by the Chronic Liver Disease Foundation terms of use and privacy statement.