Is Donated Blood tested for TB?

 I had always assumed that donated blood was tested for TB because the disease can spread throughout the body via the blood (Miliary TB), but the more I read about TB the more it appeared that there wasn't a reliable quick test available to test for active TB in the blood. I wrote to my Member of Parliament (MP) in March 2004, regarding this and a number of other issues relating to TB and AIDS. He passed this on to John Reid (the British Minister for Health), who passed it on to Melanie Johnson, (the British Under Secretary of State for Public Health). Only one of the issues I raised was addressed, most were ignored, including this one. I contacted the National Blood Service and was told that donated blood was not tested for TB. Also, I checked and it appeared that it was not tested for in the USA, Australia or South Africa. I wrote again to my MP in August 2004, about this specific issue and he passed this on to Melanie Johnson who responded on 11 October 2004. She wrote, 'the NHS does not screen blood for TB because it is not transmissible through blood transfusion and there has never been a case of transmission. The reason for this is that the TB bacilli are both temperature sensitive and very slow to grow. TB requires a temperature of 37º C. (body temperature) and a period of 6 weeks to grow outside the body. Blood for transfusion is always stored at 4º C. and is transfused with 5 weeks.' I wrote to my MP on 19 October 2004, refuting Melanie Johnson's statement that TB is not transmissible through blood transfusion and that there has never been a case of transmission on the grounds that the TB, which was dormant when stored at 4 degrees C., would reactivate after being transfused and reaching body temperature. I did not receive a reply to this letter even though his secretary confirmed receipt of same. A few years later I read that Jenny Willot (MP), Lord Morris of Manchester (President of the Haemophilia Society) and Mr. R. Morrison (Chairman of the Haemophilia Society) were conducting an investigation into a donated blood issue. In February 2007, I wrote to each of them (fax and hard copy) regarding my concern that donated blood was not tested for TB and attached a copy of Melanie Johnson's letter. I did not receive a response from any of them.

To date, donated blood is still not tested for TB in the UK. 

Tuberculosis is killed by extreme heat, which is one of the reasons why milk is pasteurized.