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Haw J, Butler-Foster T, Murray B, Lapierre D, Bosse J, Edwards J, Gümüşpala Ş, Jenkins C, Devor A. Advancing gender inclusivity for Two-Spirit, trans, nonbinary and other gender-diverse blood and plasma donors. Vox Sang 2024. [PMID: 38373848 DOI: 10.1111/vox.13596] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2023] [Revised: 01/16/2024] [Accepted: 01/17/2024] [Indexed: 02/21/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Two-Spirit, trans, nonbinary and other gender-diverse (2STGD) donors face challenges in donation. While many blood operators aim to address these challenges, to date, no empirical study with these donors has been conducted to guide their efforts. This paper reports 2STGD donors' views on a two-step approach asking donors their gender and sex assigned at birth (SAAB), and expanding gender options in donor registration. MATERIALS AND METHODS A qualitative community-based study was conducted with 2STGD donors (n = 85) in Canada. Semi-structured, in-depth interviews were conducted from July to October 2022, audio-recorded and transcribed. Data were analysed using a thematic analytic framework. RESULTS Participants were divided on their views of a two-step approach asking gender and SAAB. Themes underlying views in favour of this approach included the following: demonstrating validation and visibility, and treating 2STGD donors and cisgender donors alike. Themes underlying views not in favour or uncertain included potential for harm, compromising physical safety, and invalidation. All participants were in favour of expanding gender options if blood operators must know donors' gender. CONCLUSION Results indicate that a two-step approach for all donors is not recommended unless the blood operator must know both a donor's gender and SAAB to ensure donor and/or recipient safety. Gender options should be expanded beyond binary options. Ongoing research and evidence synthesis are needed to determine how best to apply donor safety measures to nonbinary donors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennie Haw
- Canadian Blood Services, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
- Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Terrie Butler-Foster
- Canadian Blood Services, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
- Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
| | | | - Don Lapierre
- Canadian Blood Services, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Jesse Bosse
- Institute for Trans Health, Montréal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Jack Edwards
- Victoria Conservatory of Music, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
| | | | | | - Aaron Devor
- University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
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Woo H, Fisher W, Kohut T, Haw J. Qualitative analysis of Canadian blood and plasma donors' views on expanding donor screening eligibility for gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men. Transfusion 2024; 64:85-92. [PMID: 38041576 DOI: 10.1111/trf.17606] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2023] [Revised: 10/29/2023] [Accepted: 10/31/2023] [Indexed: 12/03/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND In many countries, sexually active gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (gbMSM) continue to be screened based on their sex or gender and the sex or gender of their sexual partner. However, there is growing support that screening based on specific sexual behaviors that pose risk of transfusion transmissible infection is a better approach to donor screening. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS This paper reports results from Phase 1 (qualitative) of a mixed-methods study on Canadian blood and plasma donors' views on expanding eligibility for gbMSM by changing to sexual behavior-based screening. Semistructured interview data with 40 donors (whole blood = 20, plasma = 20; male = 21, female = 18, nonbinary = 1; mean age = 46.2; 10% participation rate) in Canada were analyzed using a thematic approach. RESULTS All participants, except one, supported the change as they anticipated that at least one of three outcomes would be achieved: increasing blood supply, enhancing equity, and improving or maintaining the safety of blood supply. One donor who was more skeptical of the change questioned the scientific evidence for the change and indicated mistrust of state institutions. The discussion considers implications for blood operators' communication strategies that can be used to reduce donor discomfort with the changes to donor screening. CONCLUSION In a nonrandom, purposive sample of 40 Canadian blood and plasma donors, most participants held favorable views regarding expanding the eligibility of gbMSM donors based on sexual risk behavior. Understanding donors' views on increasing eligibility may inform Canadian Blood Services and other blood operators as they develop their communications plans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hyunjin Woo
- Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - William Fisher
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Psychology, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Taylor Kohut
- Department of Psychology, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
- Institut de Recherche en Sciences Psychologiques, Université Catholique de Louvain, Louvain-La-Neuve, Belgium
| | - Jennie Haw
- Donation Policy and Studies, Canadian Blood Services, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Health Sciences, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
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Žiberna K, Jež M, Jazbec K, Mali P, Rahne Potokar U, Rožman P. ABO blood group does not influence the level of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in convalescent plasma donors. Transfusion 2022; 62:556-562. [PMID: 35041206 DOI: 10.1111/trf.16808] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2021] [Revised: 01/07/2022] [Accepted: 01/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The association of the ABO blood group with COVID-19 disease has been confirmed by several studies, with the blood group A patients being more susceptible and prone to a more severe clinical course of the disease. Additionally, several authors also addressed the association of ABO-types and the levels of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in convalescents, mostly supporting a theory that the non-O blood group convalescents present with higher levels of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS Since previous findings were based on small convalescent cohorts, we quantified the anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody levels in total 3187 convalescent plasma donors with three commercial serological and one standard neutralizing antibody test. The majority of donors had undergone a mild form of the disease and the median time of sampling was 66 days after diagnosis. RESULTS None of the antibody quantitation results showed any significant association with the ABO blood group types. The same result was evident in the subgroup of vaccinated individuals (n=370) and the subgroups when stratified according to post-COVID-19 periods (0-60, 60-120, and 120-180 days). CONCLUSION In conclusion, we found no evidence to confirm that the ABO blood group types influence the level of SARS-CoV-2 antibody response in COVID-19 convalescent plasma donors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Klemen Žiberna
- Blood Transfusion Centre of Slovenia, Šlajmerjeva 6, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Mojca Jež
- Blood Transfusion Centre of Slovenia, Šlajmerjeva 6, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Katerina Jazbec
- Blood Transfusion Centre of Slovenia, Šlajmerjeva 6, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Polonca Mali
- Blood Transfusion Centre of Slovenia, Šlajmerjeva 6, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Urška Rahne Potokar
- Blood Transfusion Centre of Slovenia, Šlajmerjeva 6, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Primož Rožman
- Blood Transfusion Centre of Slovenia, Šlajmerjeva 6, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia
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4
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Haw J, Woo H, Kohut T, Fisher W. Sexual risk behavior questions: Understanding and mitigating donor discomfort. Transfusion 2021; 62:355-364. [PMID: 34877677 PMCID: PMC9542493 DOI: 10.1111/trf.16755] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2021] [Revised: 11/22/2021] [Accepted: 11/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Background Blood operators are working to improve donor screening and eligibility for gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (gbMSM), and trans and nonbinary donors. Many consider screening all donors for specific sexual risk behaviors to be a more equitable approach that maintains the safety of the blood supply. Feasibility considerations with this change include ensuring donor understanding of additional sexual behavior questions and minimizing donor loss due to discomfort. Study design and methods Qualitative one‐on‐one interviews were conducted with Canadian whole blood and plasma donors (N = 40). A thematic analysis was conducted to assess participants' understandings of the questions, examine their comfort/discomfort, and identify strategies to mitigate donor discomfort. Results All participants understood what the sexual behavior questions were asking and thought the questions were appropriate. Themes related to comfort/discomfort include: their expectations of donor screening, social norms that they bring to donation, whether their answer felt like personal disclosure, knowing the reasons for the question, trusting confidentiality, confidence in knowing their sexual partner's behavior, and potential for the question to be discriminatory. Strategies to mitigate discomfort include: providing an explanation for the questions, forewarning donors of these questions, reducing ambiguity, and using a self‐administered questionnaire. Conclusion While many blood operators and regulators view the move to sexual behavior–based screening for all donors as a significant paradigmatic shift, donors may not perceive additional sexual behavior questions as a significant change to their donation experience. Further research is needed to evaluate the effectiveness of strategies to mitigate donor discomfort.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennie Haw
- Donation Policy and Studies Group, Canadian Blood Services, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Health Sciences, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Hyunjin Woo
- Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Taylor Kohut
- Department of Psychology, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - William Fisher
- Department of Psychology and Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
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Schoch S, Wälti M, Schemmerer M, Alexander R, Keiner B, Kralicek C, Bycholski K, Hyatt K, Knowles J, Klochkov D, Simon T, Wenzel JJ, Roth NJ, Widmer E. Hepatitis A Virus Incidence Rates and Biomarker Dynamics for Plasma Donors, United States. Emerg Infect Dis 2021; 27:2718-2824. [PMID: 34670659 PMCID: PMC8544996 DOI: 10.3201/eid2711.204642] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The United States is currently affected by widespread hepatitis A virus (HAV) outbreaks. We investigated HAV incidence rates among source plasma donors in the United States since 2016. Serial donations from HAV-positive frequent donors were analyzed for common biologic markers to obtain a detailed picture of the course of infection. We found a considerable increase in incidence rates with shifting outbreak hotspots over time. Although individual biomarker profiles were highly variable, HAV RNA typically had a high peak and a biphasic decrease and often remained detectable for several months. One donor had a biomarker pattern indicative of previous exposure. Our findings show that current HAV outbreaks have been spilling over into the plasma donor population. The detailed results presented improve our comprehension of HAV infection and related public health aspects. In addition, the capture of full RNA curves enables estimation of HAV doubling time.
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Gomaa MR, Kandeil A, Mostafa A, Roshdy WH, Kayed AE, Shehata M, Kutkat O, Moatasim Y, El Taweel A, Mahmoud SH, Kamel MN, Abo Shama NM, El Sayes M, El-Shesheny R, Bakheet OH, Elgohary MA, Elbadry M, Nassif NN, Ahmed SH, Abdel Messih IY, Kayali G, Ali MA. Prevalence of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Neutralizing Antibodies in Egyptian Convalescent Plasma Donors. Front Microbiol 2020; 11:596851. [PMID: 33329484 PMCID: PMC7732494 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.596851] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2020] [Accepted: 11/04/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Using convalescent plasma as immunotherapy is an old method for treatment of infectious diseases. Several countries have recently allowed the use of such therapy for the treatment of COVID-19 patients especially those who are critically ill. A similar program is currently being tested in Egypt. Here, we tested 227 plasma samples from convalescent donors in Egypt for neutralizing antibodies against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) using a microneutralization (MN) assay. A third of the tested samples did not have antibody titers and 58% had titers between 1:10 and 1:80. Only 12% had titers >1:160. We also compared MN assays using different virus concentrations, plaque reduction neutralization (PRNT) assays, and a chemiluminescence assay that measures immunoglobulin G (IgG) binding to N and S proteins of SARS-CoV-2. Our results indicated that a MN assay using 100 TCID50/ml provides comparable results to PRNT and allows for high throughput testing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mokhtar R Gomaa
- Center of Scientific Excellence for Influenza Viruses, National Research Center, Giza, Egypt
| | - Ahmed Kandeil
- Center of Scientific Excellence for Influenza Viruses, National Research Center, Giza, Egypt
| | - Ahmed Mostafa
- Center of Scientific Excellence for Influenza Viruses, National Research Center, Giza, Egypt
| | - Wael H Roshdy
- Central Public Health Laboratory, Ministry of Health and Population, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Ahmed E Kayed
- Center of Scientific Excellence for Influenza Viruses, National Research Center, Giza, Egypt
| | - Mahmoud Shehata
- Center of Scientific Excellence for Influenza Viruses, National Research Center, Giza, Egypt
| | - Omnia Kutkat
- Center of Scientific Excellence for Influenza Viruses, National Research Center, Giza, Egypt
| | - Yassmin Moatasim
- Center of Scientific Excellence for Influenza Viruses, National Research Center, Giza, Egypt
| | - Ahmed El Taweel
- Center of Scientific Excellence for Influenza Viruses, National Research Center, Giza, Egypt
| | - Sara H Mahmoud
- Center of Scientific Excellence for Influenza Viruses, National Research Center, Giza, Egypt
| | - Mina Nabil Kamel
- Center of Scientific Excellence for Influenza Viruses, National Research Center, Giza, Egypt
| | - Noura M Abo Shama
- Center of Scientific Excellence for Influenza Viruses, National Research Center, Giza, Egypt
| | - Mohamed El Sayes
- Center of Scientific Excellence for Influenza Viruses, National Research Center, Giza, Egypt
| | - Rabeh El-Shesheny
- Center of Scientific Excellence for Influenza Viruses, National Research Center, Giza, Egypt
| | - Osama H Bakheet
- Department of Clinical Pathology, Military Medical Academy, Cairo, Egypt
| | | | - Mohamed Elbadry
- Tropical Medicine and Gastroenterology Department, Aswan University, Aswan, Egypt
| | - Naguib N Nassif
- Preventive Medicine Department, Aswan Health Affairs Directorate, Aswan, Egypt
| | - Salwa H Ahmed
- Clinical Pharmacology Department, Aswan Fever Hospital, Aswan, Egypt
| | | | - Ghazi Kayali
- Department of Epidemiology, Human Genetics, and Environmental Sciences, University of Texas, Houston, Texas, TX, United States.,Human Link, Baabda, Lebanon
| | - Mohamed A Ali
- Center of Scientific Excellence for Influenza Viruses, National Research Center, Giza, Egypt
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