New screening blood supply test for HBV, HCV and HIV

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CLL/SLL patients having CD20 monoclonal antibody therapy (rituxan or ofatumumab)

as in FCR, R-CHOP, HDMP+R etc should be given a test for hepatitis B virus

(HBV).

Further, many CLL/SLL patients require blood transfusions. A new triplex test

reported in the NEJM is able to detect HepB, HepC and HIV in blood donors.

The paper states:

" Triplex nucleic acid testing detected potentially infectious HBV, along with

HIV and HCV, during the window period before seroconversion.

The current use of nucleic acid testing for detection of the human

immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA and HBV DNA in a

single triplex assay may provide additional safety. "

Source: http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1007644