HEV in Blood Donors in Switzerland: The Route to Safe Blood Products.

The hepatitis E virus (HEV) is an emerging infectious disease with zoonotic potential, causing acute hepatitis in humans. Infections in healthy individuals are often acute, self-limiting and asymptomatic, thus leading to the underdiagnosis of HEV infections. Asymptomatic HEV infections pose a problem for blood transfusion safety by increasing the risk for transfusion-transmitted HEV infections.

Neuropathies related to hepatitis E virus infection: A prospective, matched case-control study.

Background: Acute hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection has recently emerged as a potential trigger for acute dysimmune neuropathies, but prospective controlled studies are lacking.

Aims: To compare the frequency of concomitant acute HEV infection in patients with neuralgic amyotrophy (NA), Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), and Bell's palsy with a matched control population.

Methods: Swiss multicenter, prospective, observational, matched case-control study over 3 years (September 2019-October 2022).

Do quantitative levels of antispike-IgG antibodies aid in predicting protection from SARS-CoV-2 infection? Results from a longitudinal study in a police cohort.

In a COVID-19 sero-surveillance cohort study with predominantly healthy and vaccinated individuals, the objectives were (i) to investigate longitudinally the factors associated with the quantitative dynamics of antispike (anti-S1) IgG antibody levels, (ii) to evaluate whether the levels were associated with protection from SARS-CoV-2 infection, and (iii) to assess whether the association was different in the pre-Omicron compared with the Omicron period. The QuantiVac Euroimmun ELISA test was used to quantify anti-S1 IgG levels. The entire study period (16 months), the 11-month pre-Omicron period and the cross-sectional analysis before the Omicron surge included 3219, 2310, and 895 reactive serum samples from 949, 919, and 895 individuals, respectively.

Serosurveillance after a COVID-19 vaccine campaign in a Swiss police cohort.

Introduction: To assess the risk for COVID-19 of police officers, we are studying the seroprevalence in a cohort. The baseline cross-sectional investigation was performed before a vaccination campaign in January/February 2021, and demonstrated a seroprevalence of 12.9%.

A Multidimensional Cross-Sectional Analysis of Coronavirus Disease 2019 Seroprevalence Among a Police Officer Cohort: The PoliCOV-19 Study.

Background: Protests and police fieldwork provide a high-exposure environment for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections. In this cross-sectional analysis, we investigated the seroprevalence among a police cohort, and sociodemographic, work, and health-related factors associated with seropositivity.

Methods: Study participants were invited for serological testing of SARS-CoV-2 and to complete online questionnaires.

Comparison of a New IgG-EIA for the Detection of Anti-Plasmodium Antibodies with Two Currently Used Assays.

Background: Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease caused by protozoan parasites of the genus As migration of populations from endemic areas to Europe and overseas recreational travel to endemic regions increase, there is also a growing risk of transfusion-transmitted tropical diseases by blood components.

Material And Methods: In the present study two routine spp. ELISA (CAPTIA™ Malaria EIA, Trinity Biotech, and Malaria EIA, BioRad) were compared with a new commercial ELISA (ELISA IgG, EUROIMMUN).

Transfusion-transmitted cytomegalovirus: behaviour of cell-free virus during blood component processing. A study on the safety of labile blood components in Switzerland.

Background: Nowadays, most blood products are leukocyte-reduced. After this procedure, the residual risk for transfusion transmitted cytomegalovirus (TT-CMV) is mostly attributed to cell-free viruses in the plasma of blood donors following primary infection or viral reactivation. Here, objectives are: 1) to study the behaviour of cell-free CMV through the blood component processing; 2) to determine the anti-CMV seroprevalence, the level of viremia, the window-period in blood donor population; and 3) to identify cases of TT-CMV in bone marrow transplant (BMT) recipients.

Safe-Testing Algorithm for Individual-Donation Nucleic Acid Testing: 10 Years of Experience in a Low-Prevalence Country.

Introduction: A highly sensitive and specific nucleic acid test (NAT) for the blood-borne viruses human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis C (HCV), and hepatitis B (HBV) is essential for the safety of blood components. Since more than 2 decades, NAT screening of blood donations has become standard in developed countries that have implemented the individual-donation (ID-NAT) and mini-pool NAT (MP-NAT) approaches. With this powerful technique, confirmation of initial reactive (IR) NAT samples becomes a challenge.

Parvovirus B19 Passive Transmission by Transfusion of Intercept® Blood System-Treated Platelet Concentrate.

Background: Pathogen reduction methods for blood components are effective for a large number of viruses though less against small, non-enveloped viruses such as Parvovirus B19 (B19V). This article describes the passive transmission by transfusion of two B19V-contaminated pooled platelet concentrates (PCs) which were treated with the Intercept® blood pathogen reduction system.

Case Reports: Two transfusion cases of B19V-contaminated Intercept-treated pooled PCs were described.

Comparison of a conventional HIV 1/2 line immunoassay with a rapid confirmatory HIV 1/2 assay.

The performance of the rapid confirmatory HIV 1/2 assay Geenius was compared with the conventional HIV 1/2 line immunoblot (INNO-LIA HIV I/II Score). One hundred HIV 1/2 confirmed positive samples from donors and patients and 136 negative screening samples from blood donors were evaluated with both assays. A 20 member performance panel consisting of different HIV 1 and 2 subtypes was also analysed.

Implementation of a mandatory donor RHD screening in Switzerland.

Starting in 2013, blood donors must be tested at least using: (1) one monoclonal anti-D and one anti-CDE (alternatively full RhCcEe phenotyping), and (2) all RhD negative donors must be tested for RHD exons 5 and 10 plus one further exonic, or intronic RHD specificity, according to the guidelines of the Blood Transfusion Service of the Swiss Red Cross (BTS SRC). In 2012 an adequate stock of RHD screened donors was built. Of all 25,370 RhD negative Swiss donors tested in 2012, 20,015 tested at BTS Berne and 5355 at BTS Zürich, showed 120 (0.

Molecular RHD screening of RhD negative donors can replace standard serological testing for RhD negative donors.

This work aims to assess the value of a generalized molecular RHD screening strategy which could replace routine serological screening of weak D by indirect antiglobulin test. Three independent studies were performed at the two Blood Transfusion Services Berne and Zurich. Donors investigated were 652 RhD negative, but RhC and/or RhE positive, 17,391 mainly Rhccee, and 8200 with normal RhCcEe phenotype distribution.

Serologic and molecular investigations of DAR1 (weak D Type 4.2), DAR1.2, DAR1.3, DAR2 (DARE), and DARA.

Background: The partial D variant DAR1 (weak D Type 4.2) is caused by three single-point mutations, 602C>G, 667T>G, and 1025T>C. Here we report a molecular study on different D variants belonging to the DAR category (DAR1, DAR1.

Efficacy of individual nucleic acid amplification testing in reducing the risk of transfusion-transmitted hepatitis B virus infection in Switzerland, a low-endemic region.

Background: The risk of transfusion-transmitted hepatitis B virus (HBV) in Switzerland by testing blood donors for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) alone has been historically estimated at 1:160,000 transfusions. The Swiss health authorities decided not to introduce mandatory antibody to hepatitis B core antigen (anti-HBc) testing but to evaluate the investigation of HBV nucleic acid testing (NAT).

Study Design And Methods: Between June 2007 and February 2009, a total of 306,000 donations were screened routinely for HBsAg and HBV DNA by triplex individual-donation (ID)-NAT (Ultrio assay on Tigris system, Gen-Probe/Novartis Diagnostics).

Molecular epidemiology of Campylobacter jejuni populations in dairy cattle, wildlife, and the environment in a farmland area.

We describe a cross-sectional study of the molecular epidemiology of Campylobacter jejuni in a dairy farmland environment, with the aim of elucidating the dynamics of horizontal transmission of C. jejuni genotypes among sources in the area. A collection of 327 C.

In-frame triplet deletions in RHD alter the D antigen phenotype.

Background: The deletion of three adjacent nucleotides in an exon may cause the lack of a single amino acid, while the protein sequence remains otherwise unchanged. Only one such in-frame deletion is known in the two RH genes, represented by the RHCE allele ceBP expressing a "very weak e antigen."

Study Design And Methods: Blood donor samples were recognized because of discrepant results of D phenotyping.

Molecular and serologic tracing of a transfusion-transmitted hepatitis A virus.

Background: The transmission of hepatitis A virus (HAV) via blood transfusion has not been evidenced by molecular tracing so far.

Case Report: A 33-year-old asymptomatic female volunteer made a whole-blood donation. Thirteen days later an acute HAV infection was diagnosed.