ABSTRACT
The U.S. blood supply is among the safest in the world. The risk of transfusiontransmitted infections has been markedly reduced as a result of improvements in donor screening and serological testing, the development and implementation of viral inactivation procedures for plasma-derived products, and changes in transfusion practices. Nevertheless, since blood is a human tissue, it is a natural vehicle for transmission of infectious agents. The transmission of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) through the blood supply in the early 1980s and the more recent experiences with hepatitis C virus (HCV) transmission from intravenous immune globulin (IVIG) (1) and bacterial sepsis from contaminated albumin (2) point to the need for continued vigilance regarding both known and unrecognized or uncharacterized threats to the blood supply.
