Page 603 - Fluid, Electrolyte, and Acid-Base Disorders in Small Animal Practice

Blood Transfusion and Blood Substitutes 591

Donors of both type A and type B blood must be avail- Bartonella vinsonii, B. canis, B. gibsoni, L. donovani,
able because there is no universal donor in cats. Incom- and organisms previously classified as Ehrlichia spp.
patible transfusions result in shortened red blood cell (Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Anaplasma platys)
survival and potentially death in the transfusion recipient; may be indicated. 124 Dogs should not donate if they
therefore the serologic compatibility between recipient are ill or have fever, vomiting, or diarrhea; using donors
and donor must be determined before every transfusion with these clinical signs has resulted in Yersinia
in cats. 38 Donors of type A blood are easy to find because enterocolitica contamination of human units of blood. 32
more than 99% of the domestic cats in the United States Organisms infectious to cats and known to be trans-
are type A. 42 The prevalence of domestic cats with type B mitted by blood transfusion include: feline leukemia virus
blood varies geographically. In the United States, the (FeLV), feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) Bartonella
western states have the highest percentage of type B cats, henselae, Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Ehrlichia spp.
4% to 6%. 42 Australia has the highest reported percentage and Neorickettsia spp., and the organisms formerly classi-
of type B cats in their domestic cat population, 73%. 6 fied as Haemobartonella sp. (Mycoplasma haemofelis and
In Europe, the frequency of blood type B in domestic cats Candidatus Mycoplasma haemominutum). 33,49 Potential
varies from 0% in Finland, 14.9% in France, and 24.6% in donor cats should be screened for FeLVand FIV. Because
Turkey. 3,41 Some purebred cats have a higher frequency the prepatent period for FeLV infection can be 3 months,
of type B in their population. 39 The British shorthair, cats being considered as donors should be screened
Devon rex and Turkish van have been reported to have monthly for FeLV for 3 consecutive months. Testing
the highest proportion of type B individuals, approxi- for FIV antibodies can be performed simultaneously.
4
mately 50% to 60%. The Siamese, Oriental shorthair, Bartonella henselae is an emerging feline infectious dis-
69
Burmese, Tonkinese, American shorthair, and Norwe- ease and has been transmitted to cats by infected blood.
gian forest cat breeds have not been reported to have The use of cats with positive serology or cultures for
any members with type B blood. Blood type AB is B. henselae as blood donors is controversial and
extremely rare, occurring in 0.14% of cats in the United eliminating these cats from the donor pool is the safest
States and Canada. 46 Fortunately, a type AB donor is approach. Testing for hemoplasma should include both
not required to successfully transfuse a type AB cat. Blood light microscopy and PCR, and infected cats should be
from a type A cat is adequate. eliminated from the donor pool. 33 Screening of donor
cats for feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) is problematic
BLOOD DONOR SCREENING because there is no reliable test to identify the FIP-caus-
FOR INFECTIOUS DISEASE ing coronavirus. Feline blood donors should be screened
for infection with Cytauxzoon felis and the agents causing
Screening blood donors for infectious diseases transmit- feline ehrlichiosis if they reside in or are known to have
ted by blood transfusion is an integral step in maintaining traveled to endemic locations.
a safe blood supply. Infectious disease screening of canine
and feline blood donors varies within the different geo- BLOOD DONOR HEALTH
graphic regions of the United States and with the breed MAINTENANCE
of the blood donor. An American College of Veterinary
Internal Medicine consensus statement, developed by a A safe blood supply begins with healthy blood donors. All
committee consisting of members of the Infectious Dis- blood donors should undergo a complete physical exam-
ease Study Group and the Association of Veterinary ination each time they donate blood. Complete and dif-
Hematology and Transfusion Medicine should serve as ferential blood counts, biochemical profile, and fecal
the guideline for donor screening. 124 examination should be performed annually. Donor cats
Organisms infectious to dogs and known to be trans- and dogs with exposure to the outdoors or to
mitted by blood transfusion include B. canis, B. gibsoni, ectoparasites should be routinely screened for infectious
Haemobartonella canis, and Leishmania sp. 31,71,89,105 disease. Blood donors should be tested for heartworms,
All canine blood donors should be screened for Ehrlichia treated for ectoparasites, and vaccinated for the diseases
canis and Brucella canis, and if they test positive, they on the schedule recommended for pets residing in the
should be eliminated from the donor pool. Titers against geographic region of the blood bank. Because the ideal
E. canis less than 1:80 may be false positives and should be feline blood donor lives in an indoor environment and
repeated in 2 to 3 weeks. Dogs with initially negative is not exposed to other cats, the author believes
titers to E. canis can receive additional screening with a vaccinations against FeLV, FIV, and FIP are unnecessary
PCR test. Splenectomy of donor dogs to facilitate identi- in donor cats. Exposure to the outdoors or to fleas
fication of B. canis and H. canis carriers is not approximately doubles the prevalence of hemoplasma
recommended. In neutered dogs, a single negative test infections in donor cats and restricting access to the out-
for Brucella canis is adequate. Based on travel history doors, fleas, and other cats can prevent most infectious
and breed, additional screening for Trypanosoma cruzi, diseases in feline blood donors. 49