No Observed Risk of Pregnancy and Maternal-Fetal Transmission of Zika Virus Following Blood Transfusion
Year: 2019
Type: preprint
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: BACKGROUND: Zika virus (ZIKV) is primarily mosquito-borne, but can also be transfusion- and sexually transmitted. Maternal-fetal transmission may result in fetal loss or severe congenital defects. METHODS: We surveyed blood recipients enrolled in a donor-recipient-linked study of transfusion-transmitted infections to assess potential risk of ZIKV maternal-fetal transmission following transfusion. Participants were tested for antibodies to ZIKV, dengue and chikungunya viruses. Positive serology from post- and pre-transfusion samples and from linked donors were tested using real-time PCR. RESULTS: The mean age of female recipients was 65 years (36-80). Only one was < 50 years. None reported having sexual intercourse within the first month and none became pregnant within six months following transfusion. Male recipients were a mean 62 years of age (31-81). Twenty percent of males had sexual intercourse with a female partner within three months of transfusion; no pregnancies resulted. Females and males most commonly reported that they were no longer sexually active or felt too ill after transfusion. All of the respondents were IgM and RT-PCR negative. CONCLUSIONS: Our survey of blood recipients, combined with derived data and the literature, suggest that most transfused women are beyond the age of likely pregnancy and most transfused women and men are too infirm from the underlying condition to engage in sex. However, 20% of male recipients did report having sexual intercourse during the ZIKV infectious period.
Authors: Valeria DeGiorgi, Jennifer Tan, Sarah Fowler, Sonia Maciejewski, David Gordon, Harvey J. Alter, Robert D Allison
Language: English
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W4256228911