Background: An Italian interlaboratory study was run in 2010 to assess the performance of Blood Transfusion Services in detecting the genome of West Nile virus (WNV) in plasma.
Materials and methods: Each laboratory received a panel of samples containing four samples negative for WNV and six positive samples with a nominal viral concentration close to or below the 95% detection limit of two commercially available nucleic acid amplification tests (NAT) for WNV, the PROCLEIX® WNV kit and the Cobas® TaqScreen West Nile Virus kit.
Results: Ten laboratories took part in the study. All correctly identified the positive samples with a viral concentration above the 95% detection limit. No pre- or post-analytical errors were observed.
Conclusions: The interlaboratory study run in 2010 allowed participants to assess the performance of the NAT methods applied in their seasonal routine screening of blood donations.