How reliable is the test that WADA is using to detect blood doping (especially by transfusion)?
I can’t find methods on WADA’s site. It’s my belief that they just measure hematocrit, but I’m sure that in questions of possible transfusion from another donor they could look at DNA fingerprints, since white blood cells would accompany the transfusion. They could also look, using flow cytometry, at red cells using a panel of antibodies to minor antigens (not ABO and Rh, which presumably would be identical). This test should produce results up to 100 days after transfusion, long after the race event.
