title: Preliminary assessment of whole-blood, red-cell and platelet- leucodepleting filters for possible induction of prion release by leucocyte fragmentation during room temperature processing.
abstract: Universal leucodepletion is being introduced in the U.K. to reduce a theoretical risk of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) transmission. If CJD infectivity is associated with leucocytes, any cell fragmentation associated with filtration could reduce the potential benefit. Four types each of whole blood, red cell and platelet leucodepletion filters were assessed after holding of blood units for at least 4 h at 22 degrees C. In all cases the mean residual leucocyte content was <1 000 000 per unit, with only two individual filtered whole blood units having a leucocyte content exceeding this. Evidence of leucocyte fragmentation during filtration was sought but not found by assay of soluble elastase, beta-thromboglobulin and normal prion protein, as well as by isotopic labelling of leucocyte external membrane. These preliminary studies indicate that it was possible to prepare leucodepleted blood components by filtration at room temperature, and that this appeared not to be associated with overt cell fragmentation. Definitive demonstration that fragmentation does not occur requires the development of improved general (non-specific) assays for cell membrane fragments.
authors.affiliation: SNBTS National Science Laboratory, Edinburgh. chris.prowse@snbts.csa.scot.nhs.uk
authors.forename: C V
authors.initials: CV
authors.lastname: Prowse
authors.forename: V S
authors.initials: VS
authors.lastname: Hornsey
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Drummond
authors.forename: I R
authors.initials: IR
authors.lastname: MacGregor
authors.forename: D S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Pepper
authors.forename: G R
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Barclay
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Bethel
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Walker
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Barnard
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kirby
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hope
mesh_terms: D001781:Blood Component Removal / Q000295:instrumentation*; D001792:Blood Platelets; D002469:Cell Separation; D004912:Erythrocytes; D005374:Filtration; D006801:Humans; D007958:Leukocyte Count; D008212:Lymphocyte Depletion / Q000295:instrumentation; D011328:Prions; D013696:Temperature
chemical_list: D011328:Prions