Seroprevalence of antibodies and chronic Q fever among post-mortal and living donors of tissues and cells from 2010 to 2015 in the Netherlands.

BackgroundAfter a large Q fever outbreak in the Netherlands in the period from 2007 to 2010, the risk of Q fever transmission through tissue and cell transplantation from undiagnosed chronic Q fever cases became a potential issue. We aimed to evaluate the risk of Q fever transmission through tissue and cell transplantation. We performed a retrospective observational cohort study among 15,133 Dutch donors of tissues and stem cells from 2010 to 2015 to assess seroprevalence of antibodies, to identify factors associated with presence of antibodies, and to assess the proportion of undiagnosed chronic Q fever cases.

The value of autopsy and other histological examinations for the safety of tissue transplantation.

Directive 2006/17/EC requires that all available medical information, including autopsy reports, is evaluated before releasing tissues for transplantation. The aim of this study was to investigate whether evaluation of results of autopsy and other histological examinations contributes to the safety of tissue transplantation. From the files of all deceased Dutch donors, from whom tissues were retrieved in a 6-month period, results of autopsy and other histological examinations (remnant heart after valve donation and biopsies obtained during retrieval) were evaluated for contraindications for transplantation.