Vírus do Nilo Ocidental - Nova ameaça à segurança transfusional? West Nile virus - A new threat to transfusion safety?

Abstract The West Nile virus is an RNA virus and is one of the mostimportant pathogenic flaviviruses in humans. Due to theincreasing number of confirmed cases in the U.S.A since 1999,with documentation of its dissemination from the East coast tothe West and South in less than three years and because of itsspread over four continents, measures are being implemented tocontrol this epidemic. The documented transmission throughblood transfusion, transplanted organs, breast feeding and ver-tical transmission and the significant morbidity and mortalityrates (4 to 29%) is alarming the international medical community.Efforts have been made in an attempt to obtain accurate diagnostictests, to search for an effective therapy, to control the vectors(insects) and to develop a vaccine. Cases of West Nile infection Referencias Bibliograficas 1. Prowse CV. An ABC for West Nile virus. Transfus Med 2003;13:1-7.2. Howard-Ruben J. The West Nile virus: an emerging healthchallenge. NOS News 2003;18:3-13.3. Solomon T, Ooi MH, Beasly DWC, et al. West Nile Encephalitis.BMJ 2003;326:865-69.4. Hollinger EB, Kleinman S. Transfusion transmission of WestNile virus: a merging of historical and contemporaryperspectives. Transfusion 2003;43:992-96.5. Petersen LR, Roehrig JT. West Nile virus: a re-emerging globalpathogen. Emerg Infect Dis 2001;7:611-14.6. Brinton MA. The molecular biology of West Nile virus: a newinvader of the western hemisphere. Annual Rev Microbiol2002;56:371-402.7. Charrel RN, Brault AC, Gallian P, et al. Evolutionary relation-ship between Old World West Nile virus strains. Evidence forviral gene flow between Africa, the Middle East, and Europe.Virology 2003;315(2): 381-8.8. Nash D, Mostashari F, Fine A, et al. The Outbreak Of West NileVirus Infection in The New York City Area in 1999. N Engl JMed 2001;344(24):1.807-13.9. Southam CM, Moore AM. West Nile, Ilheus and Bunyamweravirus infections in man. Am J Trop Med Hyg 1951;1:724-41.10. Southam CM, Moore AM. Induced virus infections in man bythe Egypt isolates of West Nile virus. Am J Trop Med Hyg1954;3:19-50.11. Kramer LD, Benard KA. West Nile virus in the westernhemisphere. Cur Opin Infect Dis 2001;14:519-25.12. Enserink M. West Nile surprisingly swift continental sweep.Science 2002;297:1.968-69.13. Briese T, Rambaut A, Pathmajeyan M, et al. Phylogeneticanalysis of a human isolate from the 2000 Israel West Nilevirus epidemic. Emerg Infect Dis 2002;8:528-31.14. Ceianu CS, Ungureanu A, Nicolescu G, et al. Viral Immunol2001;14:251-62.15. Center Disease Control. West Nile virus activity: United States,2001. MMWR 2002;51:497-501.16. Pealer LN, Marfin AA, Petersen LR, et al. Transmission ofWest Nile virus through blood transfusion in the Unites Statesin 2002. N Engl J Med 2003;349:1.236-45.17. Center Disease Control. Up to date: West Nile virus activity:eastern United States, 2000. MMWR 2002;49:1.044-47.18. Center Disease Control. West Nile virus reported cases in 2002.Available from: URL: http//www.cdc.gov/od/oc/media/wncount.htm.