In the study presented here, the prevalence of antibodies against Borrelia burgdorferi, the etiologic agent of Lyme borreliosis, was determined in a group of blood donors from the Würzburg area (Southern Germany). 13 of 472 donors (2.7%) tested were positive by immunoblotting (IB). These 13 donors were examined in more detail by physical examination, anamnesis and determination of inflammation parameters of the blood. All persons were asymptomatic for Lyme borreliosis. One of 5 who remembered a tick bite actually had suffered from an erythema chronicum migrans 5 years ago. Another one had been affected by fever, headaches and pain in the limbs, arthralgia and motoric disorder in both hands 6 months before examination. Analysis of the blood did not provide any evidence of an acute infection. Moreover, each of the 472 serum samples was analyzed by a hemagglutination test (HAT). 26 (5.5%) showed a positive test result. In order to investigate whether a seroconversion of the recipients by transfusion of B. burgdorferi antibody-positive blood had taken place, 9 recipients of blood products originating from the 13 IB-positive donors were serologically reexamined. All samples taken proved to be antibody-negative. Consequently, the transfusion did not produce any seroconversion in the patients thus treated.

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ERYTHROZYTENQUALIT¾T IN VITRO nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn nSchlüsselwörter: Leukozytendepletion ± Vollblut ± Erythrozytenkonzentrat ± Biochemische Lagerungsqualität ± Rheologische LagerungsqualitätKey words: Leucocyte depletion ± Whole blood ± Red cell concentrate ± Biochemical storage lesion ± Rheological storage lesion Einleitung Während im homologen Bereich eine Auftrennung der Vollblutspenden (VB) in Buffy coat-freies Erythrozytenkonzentrat (EK) und gefrorenes Frischplasma (GFP) als transfusionsmedizinischer Standard gilt, kann Eigenblut auch in Form von leukozytendepletiertem VB gelagert werden [44]. Gegen eine Auftrennung des Eigenbluts in Komponenten spricht, dass sich die Indikation zur Gabe von GFP in der Regel erst mit einem Blutverlust von mehr als 2/3 des zirkulierenden Blutvolumens entwickelt [33] und die meisten elektiven Eingriffe deshalb zu keinem entsprechenden Bedarf führen. Infolgedessen wird ein Groûteil des autologen GFP verworfen oder allenfalls als Volumenersatz verwendet [30, 36]. Als einziger Nachteil von leukozytendepletiertem VB verbleibt somit seine kürzere Haltbarkeit von derzeit maximal 35 Tagen (EK: 42 ± 49 Tage) [44]. Dem stehen jedoch erhebliche logistische, technische und finanzielle Vorteile gegenüber. In den vergangenen Jahren entwickelte sich deshalb eine kontroverse Diskussion über die ¹Eigenblutkonserve der Wahlª [26 ± 28, 34, 60, 61].

Since the possibility of asymptomatic infection with Borrelia burgdorferi has been suggested by a positive serology found in healthy subjects, we hypothesized that these subjects might excrete borrelial DNA sequences in urine as happens in patients with Lyme borreliosis. We found borrelial sequences by nested PCR in the urine samples from 3 of 13 healthy B. burgdorferi antibody-positive adults but not in urine samples from 79 antibody-negative healthy controls. After therapy with doxycycline, the urine samples were repeatedly negative for B. burgdorferi DNA. We conclude that urinary excretion of borrelial DNA sequences may occur in seropositive healthy subjects during asymptomatic infection. Demonstration of such sequences in urine must be interpreted cautiously and may not necessarily prove a borrelial cause of disease.