Click on the name of a subgroup to expand the section and view additional information.
Bacteria
Bacterial contamination of blood products and in particular platelets is a major threat to the safety of transfusion. The Bacteria subgroup serves a key international collaborative role in developing and coordinating studies to document bacteial contamination risk in blood products, develop protocols and materials for bacterial detection standards, and to perform comparative studies of sources of contamination and their mitigation.
Emerging Pathogens and Parasitology (EPP)
Emerging pathogens can be disruptive, posing risk to the safety or sufficiency of the blood supply. The EPP subgroup serves as a resource for timely recognition of infectious risks that may impact the blood supply, as well as new monitoring tools (e.g. technologies, therapeutics) for the identification and mitigation of these threats. The EPP subgroup also maintains focus on parasites of relevance to transfusion using the same tools for recognition of emerging pathogens.
Surveillance, Risk Assessment & Policy (SRAP)
The SRAP subgroup leads international surveillance activities, risk‑assessment work, and developing evidence to inform blood‑safety policy decision making. The group also strengthens methodological approaches, facilitates collaboration across blood services, and supports effective public‑health partnerships. The scope of the SRAP subgroup covers all infectious agents and specifically addresses translational research and monitoring activities to promote blood safety in all countries.
Meeting presentations
Meeting presentations
Virology
The virology subgroup is the scientific home for identifying, investigating, and seeking approaches to prevent the risk of transfusion-transmitted viruses. The areas of focus are on known long standing threats (HIV, HCV, HBV), arboviruses (WNV, DENV, etc), other zoonotic infections (HEV), and new agents. Studies range from assessing the impact of new threats in specific locations to large collaborative international assessments evaluating the use of interventions to prevent transfusion-transmisison events.
