What Tests Are Run on Blood at Blood Banks?

As new infectious diseases evolve, so do requirements for testing the blood stored in blood banks. The United States has made the specific tests it performs on its blood reserves a matter of public record. These tests are regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which mandates them to prevent the spread of disease through blood transfusions.



Other countries follow similar guidelines; in addition to blood type testing, all developed countries and the majority of developing countries screen donated blood for HIV, hepatitis and other infectious diseases.

Blood Type Testing

• Prior to testing, a laboratory technician centrifuges blood so that it separates into red blood cells, platelets and plasma. The most basic test thereafter determines the "type" of a person's blood (e.g., O-positive or A-negative). If you receive blood from someone with an incompatible blood type, the consequences can be severe, so it's essential to establish the blood type immediately.

Infectious Diseases

• When AIDS came to public attention in the mid-1980s, the FDA made HIV-I antibody tests mandatory for all blood samples in the United States. Prior to the AIDS outbreak, blood banks were only required to test blood for syphilis. In 1971, the government issued screening guidelines for hepatitis B surface antigen, but these simply required blood collection agencies to test blood from "high-risk individuals." Routine hepatitis B testing became mandatory in 1987.

  Since then, the FDA has expanded its testing protocols to include comprehensive screening tests for hepatitis and HIV. Globally, the World Health Organization recommends that all blood be screened for HIV, hepatitis and syphilis.

Other Conditions

• In 1989, the FDA mandated screening for human T-lymphotropic viruses (HTLV), which cause T-cell leukemia and T-cell lymphoma, and are implicated in other serious diseases.

  According to AABB, most U.S. blood collection agencies also screen for West Nile virus and Chagas disease, although these tests are not currently mandatory.