Status of Recipients of Blood from Donors Subsequently Found to Have Antibody to HIV

Abstract

To the Editor: Tests for detecting antibody to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV, or HTLV-III/LAV) were licensed for screening blood donations in March 1985. Approximately 0.2 to 0.4 percent of donors have reactive results in enzyme immunoassays, but only 0.01 to 0.07 percent are positive by more specific immunoblotting techniques (Western blot).^{1 2 3} Blood and blood components from donors found to be reactive on enzyme immunoassay are destroyed, in accordance with Food and Drug Administration guidelines.Some of the persons currently found positive by Western blot tests donated blood before March 1985. Since it is possible that they were seropositive at the . . .