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Review Article
The risk of transmission of SARS-CoV-2 through blood and blood products: The current state of knowledge (international review)
1 National Centre for Blood Transfusion and Hematology, Rabat, Morocco
2 Hematology Research Team, Hematology Laboratory, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Mohammed V University, Rabat, Morocco
3 Central Hematology Laboratory, Ibn Sina University Hospital Centre, Rabat, Morocco
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Sabah Bouhou
M.D., Medical Biologist, Ph.D. Student in Life and Health sciences, In Charge of a Scientific and Technical Mission to the Directorate of the National Center for Blood Transfusion and Hematology, Rabat,
Morocco
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Article ID: 100064Z02SB2021
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Bouhou S, Benajiba M, Masrar A. The risk of transmission of SARS-CoV-2 through blood and blood products: The current state of knowledge (international review). Int J Blood Transfus Immunohematol 2021;11:100064Z02SB2021.ABSTRACT
Introduction: Severe acute reparatory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a recently emerged coronavirus, and infection with SARS-CoV-2 can remain asymptomatic or lead to coronavirus infection disease. Clinical pictures range from a pre-clinical stage to severe pneumonia. The presence of this pre-clinical infection stage could pose a problem for the management of the transfusion chain as donors or employees may become infected during their travels or activities, and this may exponentially increase the number of infected but asymptomatic individuals. So, SARS-CoV-2 may pose a threat to blood safety.
Aim: In this study, we want to provide the necessary information about the real risk of transmission of SARS-CoV-2 via blood and blood products. It constitutes one of the most controversial topics with several critical questions for which both professionals in blood centers and health services seek apparent answers.
Methods: It is a literature review where we have consulted relevant papers and articles about the real risk of transmission of SARS-CoV-2 through blood or blood products. For this purpose, scientific research sites were consulted using key terms search strategy. Thus, we compiled and presented the necessary information from (i) positions of international scientific societies and public bodies; (ii) available data to date on detecting SARS-CoV-2 RNA in the blood of COVID-19 patients and blood donors; and (iii) published cases of transfusion of blood products from donors confirmed COVID-19 positive after donation and the process in recipients of these products.
Results: All papers published to date stipulated that SARS-CoV-2 is a new infectious agent. No sufficient information is available to exclude with certainty the risk of transfusion transmission, which remains a theoretical risk. SARS-CoV-2 RNA has been detected very lowly, but virus infectivity has not been confirmed in blood donors. Reported cases of product transfusion from COVID-19 positive donors after a donation have not provided any evidence of transmission of the virus to recipients. As a precautionary measure, blood transfusion centers have set up necessary measures to reduce the risk of transmission of SARS-CoV-2 through blood products and ensure the safety of donors and recipients. Strengthening the hemovigilance system and post-donation information is an essential link for blood safety during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Conclusion: All data available to date stipulated that SARS-CoV-2 is not transfusion-transmitted and that the risk of transmission of this new coronavirus through blood and blood products is still theoretical. This novel coronavirus may be no direct threat to blood safety but raises serious issues for general blood supply. All measures taken by blood centers to secure blood donation against this new virus are preventive measures that should consider the need to ensure the availability of blood products.
Keywords: Blood safety, Blood transmission, COVID-19 pandemic, SARS-CoV-2 transmission, Transfusion transmitted
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Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank all researchers, scientists, and public health professionals internationally for their efforts to share and make available their knowledge and the results of the studies they have conducted since the start of this new health crisis related to the COVID-19 pandemic. These efforts have made it possible to update all information related to SARS-CoV-2 to identify its characteristics better, including epidemiological, clinical, biological, and radiological features of the COVID-19 infection. It could make it possible to orient the implementation of appropriate measures for pandemic prevention and control.
Author ContributionsSabah Bouhou - Conception of the work, Design of the work, Acquisition of data, Analysis of data, Drafting the work, Revising the work critically for important intellectual content, Final approval of the version to be published, Agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.
Mohammed Benajiba - Analysis of data, Revising the work critically for important intellectual content, Final approval of the version to be published, Agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.
Azlarab Masrar - Analysis of data, Revising the work critically for important intellectual content, Final approval of the version to be published, Agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.
Guarantor of SubmissionThe corresponding author is the guarantor of submission.
Source of SupportNone
Data AvailabilityAll relevant data are within the paper and its Supporting Information files.
Conflict of InterestAuthors declare no conflict of interest.
Copyright© 2021 Sabah Bouhou et al. This article is distributed under the terms of Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium provided the original author(s) and original publisher are properly credited. Please see the copyright policy on the journal website for more information.
