Fatal case of West Nile virus linked to blood donation
Source: Los Angeles Times
A transfusion of blood tainted with West Nile virus most likely caused the death of a hospitalized cancer patient in 2012, according to a new report by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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The patient who received the tainted blood was suffering from non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and had been admitted to the Denver hospital for chemotherapy and a stem cell transplant. Four weeks after admission, the patient, who has not been identified, began experiencing fever, and ultimately died of encephalitis. Evidence of West Nile virus was discovered in brain and spinal cord tissues during autopsy, according to the study. Doctors ruled out infection by a mosquito, since the patient was in the hospital long before symptoms arose. They turned their attention instead to the donated blood.
Two screenings had been done on the donated blood at the hospital's blood bank before it was used. One test showed possible evidence of the virus, while a second, more sensitive test showed a negative result. Following FDA guidelines, the blood was released for medical use, according to the report. An official at the blood bank said the patient's death was an "unfortunate perfect storm," according to Denver's ABC 7NEWS.
Read more: http://www.latimes.com/news/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-fatal-case-of-west-nile-virus-due-to-blood-transfusion-20130809,0,582242.story
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