title: Prion safety of transfusion plasma and plasma-derivatives typically used for prophylactic treatment.
abstract: Reports about transfusion-related transmissions of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease have urged the need for more information regarding the risk for prion contaminated units in the blood supply and the safety of transfusion plasma and biopharmaceuticals derived from this precious raw material. According to a possible epidemiological model, the risk in many European countries is the same or lower than that of human immunodeficiency virus. Comprehensive investigations have shown that the prion safety margin of both single-donor and pooled solvent/detergent treated transfusion plasma is high. Furthermore, prophylactic treatment using plasma-derivatives poses a very low risk in terms of prion disease despite extensive lifetime exposure.
authors.affiliation: Octapharma Pharmazeutika Produktionsges.m.b.H, Pre-Clinical Research and Development Department, Oberlaaerstrasse 235, Vienna, Austria. tor-einar.svae@octapharma.com
authors.forename: Tor-Einar
authors.initials: TE
authors.lastname: Svae
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Neisser-Svae
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bailey
authors.forename: Herwig
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Reichl
authors.forename: Lothar
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Biesert
authors.forename: Torben
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Schmidt
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Heger
authors.forename: Jürgen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Römisch
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001781:Blood Component Removal / Q000379:methods*; D016913:Blood Component Transfusion / Q000379:methods*; D007562:Creutzfeldt-Jakob Syndrome / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000635:transmission; D006224:Cricetinae; D004203:Disinfection / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D018620:PrPSc Proteins; D012449:Safety
chemical_list: D018620:PrPSc Proteins