Prevalence of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 p24 Antigen in U.S. Blood Donors — An Assessment of the Efficacy of Testing in Donor Screening

THE combination of donor education and self-exclusion with serologic testing has proved very effective in reducing the incidence of infection with human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) as a result of transmission by transfusion. 1 , 2 There is a residual risk, however, because of the prolonged interval between infection and seroconversion 3 and because some donors with recent infections may not report or may not perceive the high risk of the behavior that resulted in their exposure. 4 The current risk of HIV transmission from screened blood is not known, but it has been estimated to range from 1 in 38,000 to 1 in . . .