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Treatment of blood with a pathogen reduction technology using ultraviolet light and riboflavin inactivates E bola virus in vitro
Author(s) -
Cap Andrew P.,
Pidcoke Heather F.,
Keil Shawn D.,
Staples Hilary M.,
Anantpadma Manu,
Carrion Ricardo,
Davey Robert A.,
FrazerAbel Ashley,
Taylor Audra L.,
Gonzales Richard,
Patterson Jean L.,
Goodrich Raymond P.
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
transfusion
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.045
H-Index - 132
eISSN - 1537-2995
pISSN - 0041-1132
DOI - 10.1111/trf.13393
Subject(s) - ebola virus , titer , virology , antibody , virus , microbiology and biotechnology , pathogen , green fluorescent protein , in vitro , biology , chemistry , immunology , gene , biochemistry
BACKGROUND Transfusion of plasma from recovered patients after Ebolavirus (EBOV) infection, typically called “convalescent plasma,” is an effective treatment for active disease available in endemic areas, but carries the risk of introducing other pathogens, including other strains of EBOV. A pathogen reduction technology using ultraviolet light and riboflavin (UV+RB) is effective against multiple enveloped, negative‐sense, single‐stranded RNA viruses that are similar in structure to EBOV. We hypothesized that UV+RB is effective against EBOV in blood products without activating complement or reducing protective immunoglobulin titers that are important for the treatment of Ebola virus disease (EVD). STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS Four in vitro experiments were conducted to evaluate effects of UV+RB on green fluorescent protein EBOV (EBOV‐GFP), wild‐type EBOV in serum, and whole blood, respectively, and on immunoglobulins and complement in plasma. Initial titers for Experiments 1 to 3 were 4.21 log GFP units/mL, 4.96 log infectious units/mL, and 4.23 log plaque‐forming units/mL. Conditions tested in the first three experiments included the following: 1—EBOV‐GFP plus UV+RB; 2—EBOV‐GFP plus RB only; 3—EBOV‐GFP plus UV only; 4—EBOV‐GFP without RB or UV; 5—virus‐free control plus UV only; and 6—virus‐free control without RB or UV. RESULTS UV+RB reduced EBOV titers to nondetectable levels in both nonhuman primate serum (≥2.8‐ to 3.2‐log reduction) and human whole blood (≥3.0‐log reduction) without decreasing protective antibody titers in human plasma. CONCLUSION Our in vitro results demonstrate that the UV+RB treatment efficiently reduces EBOV titers to below limits of detection in both serum and whole blood. In vivo testing to determine whether UV+RB can improve convalescent blood product safety is indicated.