Transfusion-Transmitted Infections of Pets

Dear Colleagues,

Transfusion medicine is a growing area of veterinary medicine, but many factors must be considered to ensure safe and effective transfusion therapy. A transfusion-transmitted infection (TTI) is defined as laboratory evidence of a pathogen in the transfusion recipient after transfusion that was not present in the recipient prior to transfusion. Prevention of the transmission of infectious agents during transfusion remains a key element of blood transfusion safety. A TTI can arise from the bacterial contamination of blood or blood components after donation or by infectious pathogens present in the blood donor. Some infectious pathogens are known to have been transmitted by blood transfusion in veterinary medicine either experimentally or in a natural setting. Infection can occur following the transfusion of infected blood donated by apparently healthy and asymptomatic blood donors. The outcome of a contaminated transfusion is highly dependent on the number of pathogens transmitted, the type of pathogen and its pathogenicity for dogs and cats, the rate of transfusion, and the clinical status of the recipient. However, although the immune status of transfusion recipients can be an important factor in determining the severity of infection, rapidly fatal reactions can occur even in healthy individuals when transfused with a large load of endotoxin-producing Gram-negative bacteria. Information on TTI in pets is essential to develop strategies that may help to reduce transfusion-associated risks. It is important that the amount of pathogen infection surveillance programs in veterinary blood banks on known and new pathogens is increased. Few data are available on the frequency of TTI in dogs and cats. Studies are needed to determine the best methods for TTI detection in routine blood collections to ensure the effective screening of donors and on the most sensitive and specific methods to test for blood contamination. These new studies will help ensure safer and more effective transfusion medicine in pets. The purpose of this Special Issue is to invite colleagues working in veterinary transfusion medicine to contribute to this area of research. Both review and research articles on TTI are welcome. 

Dr. Eva Spada
Dr. Daniela Proverbio
Dr. Roberta Perego
Guest Editors

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• transfusion transmitted infection
• pets
• veterinary blood bank
• blood-borne pathogens
• blood donor screening
• emerging infectious disease