Laserfiche WebLink
blood transfusion. It seems to be particularly common fol- <br />lowing administration of large amounts of fresh blood. The <br />syndrome manifests itself clinically 2 - 7 weeks after <br />transfusion when the patient develops a mononucleosis -like <br />disease. The symptoms include fever, lymphadenopathy, <br />hepatospenomegaly, atypical lymphocytes in the peripheral <br />field and occasional skin rash. <br />Epstein-Barr Virus <br />Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) belongs to the Herpes virus group. <br />It is a 150 - 200 nanometer virus containing double-stranded <br />DNA. It exists as an intracellular agent, commonly in the B <br />lymphocytes of humans. EBV is the agent responsible for <br />infectious mononucleosis and is closely linked to Burkitt's <br />lymphoma and nasopharyngeal carcinoma. It has been known <br />since 1969 that blood transfusions can transmit EBV <br />infections. Post -transfusion EBV can resemble hepatitis or <br />the postperfusion syndrome. These transfusion -transmitted <br />infections appear to be of significant risk only for immuno- <br />deficient patients. <br />Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) <br />Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), formerly known as human <br />T-cell lymphotropic virus, type III (HTLV-III) or lympha- <br />denopathy -associated virus (LAV), is a deadly retrovirus <br />that captured the attention of the blood bank community in <br />1982. At that time, clinical and epidemiologic evidence <br />mounted, linking the transmission of acquired immune defi- <br />ciency syndrom (AIDS) to blood transfusion. HIV is a retro- <br />virus that was isolated in 1983 from patients with lympha- <br />denopathy. It belongs to the same family as HTLV-I and II, <br />which may cause T-cell leukemia or lymphoma. The virus is <br />an RNA virus that produces a magnesium -dependent reverse <br />transcriptase. The HIV virus, like many others, is quite <br />selective in the cell which it infects initially. Its cell <br />of choice is the T-4 or T -helper cell, which is a key cell <br />in initiation of the entire immune response. As the <br />infection progresses, the virus may infect many other kinds <br />of cells as well as the lymphocytes. <br />Infection with HIV can cause AIDS, AIDS-related complex <br />(ARC) or subclinical infection. Most cases of HIV infection <br />have been confined to so-called high risk groups, including <br />homosexual or bisexual men, hemophiliacs or intravenous drug <br />abusers. However, the infection has been described in women <br />as well as infants and children. <br />BIOSAFETY - INFAGT - 0491 - PAGE 4 <br />