Infectious Disease screening among Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant Recipients and Donors: An institutional Experience in Saudi Arabia

Background Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is the infusion of hematopoietic stem cells from a donor into a patient who has received chemotherapy and is used in the treatment for a wide variety of diseases, including leukemia and lymphoma Aim This study highlights prevention strategies of infectious diseases among HSCT donors and recipients in our institute as guided by International guidelines. We aim to highlight the prevalence of HIV, Hepatitis B and C, CMV infection and syphilis cases in all the stem cell units stored in our facility Methods We searched the institutional database to identify cases of infectious diseases among HSC transplants. Evaluation of donors is achieved through screening and laboratory testing for infectious diseases including HIV, Hepatitis B and C, CMV infection and syphilis Results Between 1996 and 2014, 263 consecutive adult HSCT were performed. An approximate equal number of autologous and allogeneic HSC collections were undertaken. The median age for Autologous donors is 35 years, whereas that of Allogeneic donors is 25 years. Of the 263 stem cell donors, we found 18 patients (autologous) and 2 donors (allogeneic) to be infected. We did not find any of the donors infected with HIV by the serology as well as the NAT testing protocol Conclusion Donor screening and testing is the most critical parameter in Stem Cell Transplantation to ensure the safety of laboratory personnel and to prevent cross contamination. Modifications in the regulations related to donor screening are aimed at providing safe transplantation and negate the risk of accidental infection of the donor