Emerging Infectious Diseases (Dec 2020)

Risk for Hepatitis E Virus Transmission by Solvent/Detergent–Treated Plasma

  • Pierre Gallian,
  • Sébastien Lhomme,
  • Pascal Morel,
  • Sylvie Gross,
  • Carole Mantovani,
  • Lisette Hauser,
  • Xavier Tinard,
  • Elodie Pouchol,
  • Rachid Djoudi,
  • Azzedine Assal,
  • Florence Abravanel,
  • Jacques Izopet,
  • Pierre Tiberghien

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3201/eid2612.191482
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 26, no. 12
pp. 2881 – 2886

Abstract

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Hepatitis E has emerged as a major transfusion-transmitted infectious risk. Two recipients of plasma from 2 lots (A and B) of pooled solvent/detergent–treated plasma were found to be infected by hepatitis E virus (HEV) that was determined to have been transmitted by the solvent/detergent–treated plasma. HEV RNA viral loads were 433 IU in lot A and 55 IU in lot B. Retrospective studies found that 100% (13/13) of evaluable lot A recipients versus 18% (3/17) of evaluable lot B recipients had been infected by HEV (p50,000 IU were infected, most likely by the HEV-containing solvent/detergent–treated plasma, versus only 7% with a transfused HEV RNA load <50,000 IU (p<0.001). Overall, solvent/detergent–treated plasma might harbor HEV. Such an occurrence might result in a dose-dependent risk for transfusion-transmitted hepatitis E.

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