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Chagas'-positive donations have been reported in 34 states with thehighest concentration in California, Florida and Texas, according to datacompiled by the AABB.
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During presentations at the conference today, blood safety experts alsosaid they are investigating new cases of transmissions of Chagas' disease thatmay have occurred through blood transfusions and via insect bites from bugsknown to carry the parasite. Such cases have been extremely rare, or have goneundocumented, in the United States. Dr. Susan Stramer, executive scientificofficer for the America Red Cross, said blood safety experts are investigating20 cases of possible insect-to-human transmissions with strong evidencesuggesting that nine cases may have occurred in the U.S. Also, the Red Crossis investigating four possible transmissions via blood transfusions. Detailsof these cases were not disclosed.
"While we have known that Chagas' disease was present in North America,the numbers of Chagas'-positive blood donations, as well as new reports oftransmission of infection to persons from bugs, are surprising," said James H.Maguire, M.D., director, International Health Division, University of MarylandSchool of Medicine. Maguire is the former chief of the parasitic diseasesbranch at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The American Red Cross was among the first blood collection agencies inthe U.S. to begin testing donations for Chagas' in late January, following FDAapproval of Ortho's blood-screening test in December 2006. Today,approximately 70 percent of all blood donations in the U.S. are now beingscreened for Chagas'.
"Ensuring the safety of the blood supply is a major public healthpriority, and one that our company is proud to play a role in," said CliffHolland, worldwide president, Ortho-Clinical Diagnostics, Inc. "Screeningblood donations for Chagas' reduces the risk of spreading this disease throughblood transfusions."
In additional developments, public health authorities in the state ofArizona have made Chagas' a "reportable" disease. Three southern states areconsidering similar action. A reportable disease is one that must be reportedto federal, state, or local health officials when diagnosed -- like activetuberculosis, hepatitis, gonorrhea and HIV, for example.
Also called American trypanosomiasis, Chagas' disease is an infectioncaused by the blood-borne parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, or T.cruzi. The diseaseis endemic to most countries in Central and South America, as well as Mexico.Transmission occurs through insect bites, blood transfusions, organtransplants and via infected pregnant women to children in utero. Earlyinfection is usually mild and unrecognized, but persists lifelong and may leadto organ damage, particularly of the heart and esophagus, causing an estimated50,000 deaths annually worldwide. Infection also can be severe in people whoseimmune systems are suppressed, such as organ transplant recipients. Accordingto the CDC, as many as 8 to 11 million people in Mexico, Central America andSouth America have Chagas' disease. (1) Most do not know they are infected.Chagas' disease can be treated successfully if detected soon after theinfection occurs, but there is no cure once the disease has entered thechronic stage.
In December 2006, Ortho-Clinical Diagnostics received FDA approval for theORTHO(R) T.cruzi ELISA Test System. The te
