Protection of neonates from transfusion-associated AIDS by the use of CMV-seronegative blood before availability of specific serologic tests for HTLV-III (HIV).

Concern over possible acquisition of acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) following blood transfusions has caused considerable anxiety for hospitalized patients who require blood products as part of their medical management. This anxiety is heightened due to the long incubation period between exposure and the development of symptoms of AIDS. Sick preterm neonates frequently require multiple blood transfusions for replacement of blood loss as a result of frequent blood sampling associated with laboratory testing. Availability of HTLV-III (HIV [human immunodeficiency virus]) antibody testing has markedly improved the safety of blood products. However, parents of neonates who received blood before routine HTLV-III (HIV) antibody testing have expressed their concern that their children may have received "tainted" blood. Since preterm neonates are also at risk for serious disease due to post-transfusion cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection, many institutions administer CMV-seronegative blood products to their neonatal patients in order to prevent infection with CMV. Information obtained from recent HTLV-III (HIV) and CMV antibody screening by the American Red Cross Blood Services Central Ohio Region suggests that the use of CMV-seronegative blood in neonates offered protection against transfusion-associated AIDS. This information may allay the fears of parents of newborns or other populations that routinely received CMV-seronegative blood before availability of HTLV-III (HIV) antibody testing.