Pathogen inactivation method using ultraviolet C light

Streszczenie

Since the end of the 1990s pathogen inactivation methods were being gradually implemented into routine work of blood transfusion establishments in many countries with regard to blood components dedicated for clinical use. The developed pathogen inactivation methods were either based on chemical compounds eg. the solvent detergent (SD) inactivation method or on photochemical and photodynamic reactions eg. inactivation methods with methylene blue, amotosalen hydrochloride and riboflavin. Blood components inactivated with any of the above mentioned methods still had traces of chemical compounds although removal steps were added (an exception here is the method with riboflavin). Attempts were therefore undertaken to develop an inactivation method based not on chemical compounds but on specific wavelength irradiation. An example of such inactivation method solely based on properties of short-wave UVC-light (UVC) with no photosensitizing chemicals is the Theraflex UV-Platelets system dedicated to platelet concentrates (PCs). The system uses 254 nm wavelength irradiation which is not absorbed by proteins so conventional toxicity tests are not required. The method is effective for clinically significant both G (+) and G (-) bacteria as well as viruses and protozoa. Clinical trials demonstrated reduced recovery of UVC-irradiated platelets and shorter survival time in the recipient’s organism.