Screening Donated Blood and Plasma for HTLV-III Antibody

Abstract

Several physicians and public health officials involved in\nadministering Minnesota's blood supply discuss the pros and cons of screening\ndonated blood for antibodies to the causative agent of AIDS (the HTLV-III\nvirus) and of notifying positive donors. They also project the results of\nsuch screening and notification policies on their state's blood supply. Their\nrecommendations are for self-exclusion of high risk donors, repeat testing and\ndiscarding of positive blood, notification of positive donors only after a\nthree-stage testing procedure, and the establishment of alternative sites for\nHTLV-III antibody testing of high-risk groups concurrent with the donor\nnotification process. (KIE abstract)