Responses to Emerging Infectious Disease to Assure Blood Safety
 

Examples of infectious threats to blood safety that we have studied include parvovirus B19, Human Herpes Virus Type 8, T. cruzi (Chagas disease), West Nile virus, Dengue virus, XMRV, SFTSV, and Babesia microti. For some agents we demonstrated significant risk that led to implementation and enhancements of blood donor screening (WNV, Chagas), while for others we determined the agents did not pose a risk to recipients (B19, HHV-8, XMRV, SFTSV) or more limited screening was warranted (DENV, B microti). We continue to study risks of EIDs with current studies focused on Chikungunya and Zika viruses.

To carry out our studies to address blood safety concerns over viral and parasite infections we also evaluate the utility of tests to detect and prevent TT of infections by characterizing the evolving dynamics of molecular and serological markers from acute viremia/parasitemia through seroconversion, followed by resolution of infection or establishment of long-term persistent infection.

Selected Publications:

Busch MP, Caglioti S, Robertson EF, McAuley JD, Tobler LH, Kamel H, Linnen JM, Shyamala V, Tomasulo PA, Kleinman SH. Screening the Blood Supply for West Nile Virus RNA by Nucleic Acid Amplification Testing. N Engl J Med, 353:460-7, 2005.

Busch MP, Wright DJ, Tobler LH, Stramer SL, Custer B, Kleinman SH, Prince HE, Bianco C, Foster G, Petersen LR, Nemo G, Glynn SA. West Nile Virus Infections Projected from Blood Donor Screening Data, United States, 2003. Emerg Infect Dis, 12(3):395-402, 2006.

Sabino EC, Ribeiro AL, Salemi VMC, …Busch MP, Murphy EL. Ten-year Incidence of Chagas cardiomyopathy among asymptomatic, T. cruzi seropositive former blood donors. Circulation 2013 Mar 12;127(10):1105-15.

Simmons G, Glynn SA, Komaroff AL, Mikovits J, Tobler L, Hackett, Jr J, Tang N, Switzer W, Heneine W, Hewlett I, Zhao J, Lo S, Alter H, Linnen J, Gao K, Coffin J, Kearney M, Ruscetti F, Pfost M, Bethel J, Kleinman S, Holmberg J, Busch MP, for the Blood XMRV Scientific Research Working Group (SRWG). Failure to Confirm Murine Leukemia Virus-Related Viruses in the Blood of Patients with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Healthy Donors in a Multi-laboratory Blinded Panel Study. Science, 334(6057):814-817.

Glynn SA, Wright DJ, Kleinman SH, Hirschkorn D, Tu Y, Heldebrant C, Smith R Giachetti C, Gallarda J, Busch MP. Dynamics of Viremia in Early Hepatitis C Virus Infection. Transfusion, 45:994-1002, 2005.

Busch MP, Murthy KK, Kleinman SH, Hirschkorn DF, Herring BL, Delwart E, Racanelli V, Yoon JC, Rehermann B, Alter HJ. Infectivity in Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) of Plasma Collected before HCV RNA Detectability by FDA-Licensed Assays: Implications for Transfusion Safety and HCV Infection Outcomes. Blood 2012;119:6326-34.

Busch MP, Kleinman SH, Tobler LH, Kamel HT, Norris PJ, Walsh I, Matud JL, Prince HE, Lanciotti RS, Wright DJ, Linnen JM, Caglioti S. Viral and Antibody Dynamics in Acute West Nile Virus Infection. J Infect Dis, 198(7):984-993, 2008.

Petersen LR, Carson P, Biggerstaff B, Custer B, Borchardt S, Busch M. Estimated Cumulative Incidence of West Nile Virus in United States Adults, 1999-2010. Epidemiology & Infection, 2012;28:1-5.

Stone M, Lanteri M, Bakkour S, Deng X, Galel S, Linnen J, Muñoz-Jordán J, Lanciotti R, Rios M, Gallian P, Musso D, Levi JE, Sabino EC, Coffey L, Busch M. Relative Analytical Sensitivity of Donor NAT Screening and Diagnostic Real-Time PCR Assays for Detection of Zika Virus RNA. Transfusion, in press.

Williamson P, Linnen J, Kessler D, Shaz B, Kamel H, Vassallo RR, Winkelman V, Gao K, Thomas S, Holmberg JA, Bakkour S, Stone M, Lu K, Simmons G, Busch M. First Cases of Zika Virus Infected US Blood Donors Outside States with Areas of Active Transmission. Transfusion, in press.