Transplant centers have very little time to evaluate if the need for transplant for a particular recipient outweighs the possible risk of infection from a potential donor. In the case of transplants from deceased donors, time and other factors limit the testing that can be performed prior to transplant and for each donor there is the potential to infect multiple recipients. In addition to laboratory testing, all potential deceased donors undergo a medical risk assessment to screen for potential infectious agents. However, complete and accurate information can be very difficult to obtain at the time of organ donation. Over the past decade, new efforts in surveillance, detection, and screening of health risks have been employed to make transplants safer and to ensure that recipients have the best outcomes possible.
In this session of Public Health Grand Rounds, experts present some of the common themes that have emerged in unusual transplant-transmitted infections. Specifically, we will hear about the work that CDC and partners in the organ transplantation community are actively doing to further reduce the risk of unusual transplant-associated infections.
Visit here to learn more about the CDC Public Health Grand Rounds.
