title: Chikungunya virus and the safety of plasma products.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) outbreaks were previously restricted to parts of Africa, Indian Ocean Islands, South Asia, and Southeast Asia. In 2007, however, the first autochthonous CHIKV transmission was reported in Europe. High-level viremia, a mosquito vector that is also present in large urban areas of Europe and America, and uncertainty around the resistance of this Alphavirus toward physiochemical inactivation processes raised concerns about the safety of plasma derivatives. To verify the safety margins of plasma products with respect to CHIKV, commonly used virus inactivation steps were investigated for their effectiveness to inactivate this newly emerging virus.
  
  
  METHODS
  Pasteurization for human serum albumin (HSA), vapor heating for Factor VIII inhibitor bypassing activity, solvent/detergent (S/D) treatment for intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG), and incubation at low pH for IVIG were investigated for their capacity to inactivate CHIKV and the closely related Sindbis virus (SINV). The obtained results were compared to previous studies with West Nile virus and the commonly used model virus bovine viral diarrhea virus.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The data generated demonstrate the effective inactivation of CHIKV as well as SINV by the inactivation steps investigated and thereby support results from earlier validation studies in which model viruses were used.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  High inactivation capacities with respect to CHIKV were demonstrated. This provides solid reassurance for the safety of plasma products and the results verify that the use of model viruses is appropriate to predict the inactivation characteristics of newly emerging viruses when their physicochemical properties are well characterized.
authors.affiliation: Global Pathogen Safety, Baxter BioScience, Vienna, Austria. thomas_kreil@baxter.com
authors.forename: Sandra M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Leydold
authors.forename: Maria R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Farcet
authors.forename: Johanna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kindermann
authors.forename: Jens
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Modrof
authors.forename: Gerhard
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pölsler
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Berting
authors.forename: M Keith
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Howard
authors.forename: P Noel
authors.initials: PN
authors.lastname: Barrett
authors.forename: Thomas R
authors.initials: TR
authors.lastname: Kreil
mesh_terms: D000143:Acids / Q000494:pharmacology; D000368:Aged; D018354:Alphavirus Infections / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000635:transmission; D000818:Animals; D001779:Blood Coagulation Factors / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D058731:Blood Safety; D002460:Cell Line / Q000821:virology; D002646:Chikungunya virus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D021821:Communicable Diseases, Emerging / Q000517:prevention & control; D003902:Detergents / Q000494:pharmacology; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D005612:Freeze Drying; D014943:Global Health; D006358:Hot Temperature; D006801:Humans; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D016756:Immunoglobulins, Intravenous / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D061352:Pasteurization; D010949:Plasma / Q000821:virology*; D012709:Serum Albumin / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D012845:Sindbis Virus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development / Q000302:isolation & purification; D013501:Surface-Active Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D019562:Viral Load; D014766:Viremia / Q000821:virology; D038301:Virus Inactivation; D014902:West Nile virus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development / Q000302:isolation & purification
chemical_list: D000143:Acids; D001779:Blood Coagulation Factors; D003902:Detergents; D016756:Immunoglobulins, Intravenous; D012709:Serum Albumin; D013501:Surface-Active Agents; C065655:anti-inhibitor coagulant complex