Viral Infections and Co-Infection Dynamics in Blood Transfusion Contexts

Blood transfusion remains a life-saving intervention but carries inherent risks of transmitting viral pathogens and fostering complex co-infection scenarios. Beyond well-known agents such as HIV, hepatitis B and C viruses, recent work has revealed a diverse blood virome including commensal and emerging viruses whose clinical significance is not fully understood. Co-infections can modulate viral pathogenicity, influence immune responses and complicate both diagnostic screening and therapeutic strategies. The dynamics of viral persistence, interference and clearance in transfused recipients depend on factors such as host immunity, viral load, blood product processing and storage protocols. Advances in metagenomic sequencing have transformed risk assessment by enabling untargeted detection of known and novel viruses in donor pools and patient samples. Understanding historical patterns of contamination in plasma-derived products, the impact of virus‐inactivation methods and the interplay of viral agents during combined infections is essential to refine safety standards and develop tailored screening platforms. Globally, low‐resource settings face particular challenges in implementing comprehensive virome surveillance, underscoring the need for cost‐effective and scalable approaches. Integrating mechanistic insights into co-infection interactions with practical blood‐safety measures promises to enhance transfusion safety, inform vaccine strategies and guide antiviral interventions, thereby safeguarding public health in diverse clinical and epidemiological contexts.

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Viral Infections and Co-Infection Dynamics in Blood Transfusion Contexts publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in viral infections and co-infection dynamics in blood transfusion contexts across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Virome: The complete collection of viral genomes present within a given environment or biological sample, including both pathogenic and commensal viruses.

Co-infection: The simultaneous infection of a host by two or more viral species, which can alter disease progression and immune response.

Metagenomic sequencing: An untargeted, high‐throughput method for analysing all genetic material in a sample to detect known and novel pathogens without prior assumptions.

Blood-borne virus: A pathogen capable of transmission through blood or blood products, often associated with transfusion‐related infections.

Clotting factor concentrates: Therapeutic preparations of coagulation proteins derived from pooled human plasma, historically linked to viral transmission prior to effective inactivation methods.

References

1. The Blood Virome: A new frontier in biomedical science. Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy (2024).
2. Characterization of the Human Blood Virome in Iranian Multiple Transfused Patients. Viruses (2023).
3. Reconstruction of the historic time course of blood‐borne virus contamination of clotting factor concentrates, 1974–1992. Journal of Medical Virology (2024).
4. Discovery of a Novel Human Pegivirus in Blood Associated with Hepatitis C Virus Co-Infection. PLOS Pathogens (2015).