Risk of transmittable blood-borne pathogens in blood units from blood donor dogs in Canada

Abstract

Background: Canine blood donors can be infected by various vector-borne or other pathogens that could be an important cause of morbidity and death in transfusion recipients. Hypothesis/Objectives: To estimate and predict positivity to transmittable blood-borne pathogens in blood units collected from blood donor dogs in Canada. Animals: Six thousand one hundred and fifty blood units from 1914 active blood donors registered to the Canadian Animal Blood Bank (CABB) between March 2010 and December 2016. Methods: A registry-based retrospective study. Blood units were screened by SNAP 4Dx/4Dx Plus and PCR panel tests. Information on blood donors and test results were extracted from multiple databases and collated. Logistic regressions were used to predict blood unit positivity. Results: Of 1779 blood units, 0.56% were antibody-positive for Anaplasma phagocytophilum/platys and 0% for Ehrlichia canis/ewingii. After exclusion of antibody-positive units to Anaplasma spp., 1.1% of 6140 blood units were PCR-positive to Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Bartonella spp., Brucella canis, “Candidatus Mycoplasma haematoparvum,” Mycoplasma haemocanis, or a combination of these pathogens. Babesia spp., Ehrlichia spp., and Leishmania spp. were not detected. Units from the first blood collection from a dog had higher odds of testing PCR-positive (P