Tuberculosis (TB) - Tissue - deceased donors

Scenarios

Affected individual
Obligatory

Must not donate if:

  1. Infected.
  2. Under follow-up.
  3. Ever had clinically active tuberculosis.
  4. Diagnosed with latent tuberculosis within the past 2 years.
Discretionary
  1. If donor with a history of tuberculosis that has been successfully treated, with treatment being completed at least 24 months previously, been discharged from follow-up, and has remained well and asymptomatic, refer to Designated Clinical Support Officer for individual risk assessment.
  2. Donors with a diagnosis of latent tuberculosis currently not undergoing investigation, or more than 7 days after completion of treatment, refer to Designated Clinical Support Officer for individual risk assessment.
  3. See Additional information below.
Contact with an affected individual
Obligatory

Must not donate until:

Screened and cleared.

Discretionary

If the donor has been informed that they do not need to be screened, accept.

Supporting information

See if relevant
Additional information

Tuberculosis (TB) can be present in many tissues and be spread through the blood stream. It is sensible to exclude people who may have active disease from donating to prevent any possibility of transmitting the infection.

Individuals with latent TB do not have symptoms of active infection. Treatment is usually recommended for individuals aged under 65. Antibiotics used to treat TB can cause liver damage in older adults, and hence treatment may not be offered. If latent TB is thought to be drug resistant, or if the individual is taking immunosuppressive medication for any reason, they may be regularly monitored to check the infection does not become active.

Designated Clinical Support Officers should consider all the TB risk factors in combination, and along with any clinical signs, symptoms, or radiological evidence of TB, treatment during review of donor eligibility, along with the processing methodology applied.

Donors with past treated TB can be accepted if tissues are to be terminally sterilised or processed in a manner validated to remove viable donor cells. However, this does not apply to any bone that has been the site of previous infection.

Reason for change:
Obligatory section updated to include past active TB and latent TB. Discretionary section updated to require that donors with a past history of treated TB be referred to DCSO for individual risk assessment. Additional points added to Discretionary section and Additional Information section updated.
Version details:

TD-DSG Edition 203 Release 61 (13 August 2024)