Nearly everyone knows about the blood types: A+, A-, B+, B-, O+, O-, AB+ and AB-.
But did you know there’s another factor that could make your blood donation even more important to those who need it? You may be a cytomegalovirus-negative (CMV-, for short) donor and not even know it. What exactly does it mean to have CMV- blood though?
Cytomegalovirus, is a common, flu-like virus that most people encounter at some point during their lifetime. Although CMV comes from the same virus family as chickenpox, mononucleosis and herpes, it is usually harmless, and most people don’t even realize they’ve been exposed to it. In the U.S., between 50-85% of adults will contract CMV by the time they reach the age of 40.
However, CMV can be dangerous to individuals with weakened immune systems, newborns and people undergoing organ transplants. For these individuals, having a blood donor who is CMV- (someone who has never been exposed to cytomegalovirus) is very important!
How do you know if you’re a CMV- donor or not?
Blood centers run a whole battery of tests on the blood they’ve collected before it goes to the hospitals. Cytomegalovirus exposure is one of the many things for which they test. Someone who has been exposed to CMV, no matter how long ago it happened, will develop antibodies that remain in their body for the rest of their life. If a donor doesn’t have the CMV antibodies, then they are a great candidate to donate blood for babies!
The next time you come down to donate, talk to your phlebotomist. If you’ve donated before, they should be able to look at your health history to see if you’re CMV- or CMV+. A lot of donor centers have great recognition programs for their CMV- donors. And who doesn’t want to know that their blood donation was able to help a newborn who needed it!?