[HIV study of German Red Cross blood banks in Germany and Berlin]. / HIV-Studie der DRK-Blutspendedienste in der BRD und in Berlin.

In the HIV study of the German Red Cross blood banks the overall rate has remained constantly low, with less than two Western blot positive donors in 100,000 donors since 1987. However, the rate of HIV positivity tends to increase in male first time and in male repeat blood donors. Despite this fact, the overall rate stays constant since the number of young first time donors has decreased with increasing donations by women. Therefore the blood banks once again have to take newly intensified but also sophisticated measures to guarantee further as well a sufficient number of blood products as their HIV safety.

[Current data on the prevalence and epidemiology of HIV from the HIV study by the German Red Cross of West Germany]. / Aktuelle Daten zur Prävalenz und Epidemiologie des HIV aus der HIV-Studie der DRK-Blutspendedienste der BRD.

From the multicenter study of the Red Cross Blood Banks in the FRG HIV-antibody prevalences and incidences are documented since July 1985. Constantly low prevalences and incidences since 1987 of less than 2 Western blot (Wb)-positive donors and less than 1 Wb-positive donor per 100,000 donors respectively confirm our estimate of the rest risk of an HIV-infection by blood products of 1:500,000 to 1:3 million donations. In the epidemiologic details there seems to be a trend to an increase of the incidence in male repeat blood donors. The modes of HIV-infection in blood donors have changed to an increasing number of infections acquired in heterosexual contacts to persons at risk.

[Confidential donor self-exclusion for raising the safety of blood preparations]. / Vertraulicher Spenderselbstausschluss zur Erhöhung der Sicherheit von Blutpräparaten.

Since July 1987 the German Red Cross Baden-Württemberg has practised confidential and anonymous self-exclusion of potential blood donours. The answers given by all donours of the Red Cross Blood Donour Service in Baden-Württemberg (n = 297,648) between 23. 2. 1988 and 31. 1. 1989 were analysed. Virological data of self-exclusion donours (n = 1910) and of a control group (n = 1856) were compared. No donour who had excluded himself was anti-HIV positive, but two of the donours who had designated their blood for transfusion. Those that had excluded their blood donation had a significantly higher prevalence of hepatitis B markers. There was no significantly higher prevalence than among other blood donours with respect to anti-CMV antibodies, syphilis and increased GPT levels. The proportion of male first-time donours was twice as high among self-excluders than among those who released their blood for subsequent donation.

[Screening of blood donors for anti-HIV-1]. / Probleme beim Blutspenderscreening auf Anti-HIV 1.

Repeatedly reactive results (also with reproducibility from donation to donation) are found in normal blood donor screening. They are obviously not HIV-1- (and/or HIV-2) specific. In some cases it cannot be clarified if we have to face a seroconversion. The cause of some antibodies (e.g. isolated p17 and/or p24 and/or p55) is not yet known. Therefore we cannot decide whether these results could be neglected or have to be considered a serious risk of transfusion associated infection.