A new tick-borne bacterial infection suspected of causing lymph node cancer is linked to blood donors.
Now people who have received blood recently are called, among them is 62-year-old Krister Jildén, who received a blood transfusion last year.
– It felt like a strong slap in the mouth, says Krister to TV4 Nyheterna.
Researchers at Sahlgrenska University Hospital in Gothenburg suspect that a new tick-borne bacterial infection can cause lymph node cancer.
The infection has now been found in blood donors. Sahlgrenska University Hospital confirms this The evening paper. People who have recently received blood will now receive a letter inviting them to take a sample.
– You look at these people who may have received blood from infected blood donors so that no one gets caught. It’s a precautionary measure and we don’t even know if you can get it from a blood transfusion, says Anna Grankvist, researcher at Sahlgrenska University Hospital to the newspaper.
“A punch in the stomach”
62-year-old Krister Jildén from Kungälv received a blood transfusion in August last year after bleeding. A couple of days ago, he received a letter home that he received the infected blood, and that it can be suppressed by antibiotics.
“One of the blood bags you received contains an infection,” the letter said.
Now he has been given an appointment for sampling on Monday.
– It felt like a strong slap in the face. It doesn’t feel good in the stomach. For me it was completely incomprehensible, says Krister to TV4 Nyheterna.
He has recently noticed that he is not feeling so well, and has had to take sick leave from work,
– I feel that there is something in the body that is not quite one hundred percent
However, he does not know if it is connected to the five bags of blood he received last year – and now he is nervous about the test results.
– Of course you feel really bad. How long will it take before I receive a notification? I don’t know anything.
Research study
Between five and 15 percent of ticks in Sweden are estimated to carry the infection, and so far 214 people have been diagnosed.
The infection is transmitted via tick bites, but not all ticks carry the bacteria. It is estimated to be found in between five and 15 percent of ticks in Sweden.
– The hope is that by treating the infection with antibiotics, it would be possible to slow down lymph node cancer or even completely cure it, says senior physician Christine Wennerås, who leads the study to TV4 Nyheterna.