Update of pathogen reduction technology for therapeutic plasma

Abstract

In the developed world, blood products are tested for the presence of some of pathogens prior to administration. There exists a small, but definite risk of transmission of infectious agents. The risk of transmission of viral infection is due to the "window period": the period of time between the infection of a donor and the development of detectable level of antibodies. Nucleic acid amplification testing (NAT) was introduced for HIV and HCV in the United States in 1998 and has shortened the window period and further decreased the incidence of pathogens in transfused units of blood products. The development of increasingly sensitive laboratory screening methods and restrictive donor criteria has greatly decreased the risk of transmission of many pathogens through blood transfusion; however, transfusion is still not risk free. Blood is currently not tested for many potentially dangerous known pathogens. The emergence of new agents such as West Nile Virus (WNV) demonstrates that potential threats to the blood supply continue to emerge world wide. The testing and donor rejection methods currently used to screen the blood supply may not offer complete protection against all of these emerging infectious agents. This overview aims to provide an update on the continual improvements in blood component safety in particular using methods that target pathogen's nucleic acid.