Hepatitis E virus is effectively inactivated in platelet concentrates by ultraviolet C light

• DOI: 10.1111/vox.12936
• Publication Date: 2020-05-08T03:24:35Z
• Authors: Dimas Praditya; Martina Friesland; Ute Gravemann; Wiebke Handke; Daniel Todt; Patrick Behrendt; Thomas H. Müller; Eike Steinmann; Axel Seltsam
• Keywords: Blood Platelets; 03 medical and health sciences; 0302 clinical medicine; Ultraviolet Rays; Blood Safety; Hepatitis E virus; Humans; 3. Good health

Background and ObjectivesAs previous investigations have shown, THERAFLEX UV‐Platelets, a UVC‐based pathogen inactivation (PI) system, is effective against non‐enveloped transfusion‐relevant viruses such as hepatitis A virus (HAV), which are insensitive to most PI treatments for blood products. This study investigated the PI efficacy of THERAFLEX UV‐Platelets against HEV in platelet concentrates (PCs).Materials and MethodsBuffy coat‐derived PCs in additive solution were spiked with cell culture‐derived HEV and treated with the THERAFLEX UV‐Platelets system using various doses of UVC (0·05, 0·10, 0·15 and 0·20 (standard) J/cm2). Titres of infectious virus in pre‐ and post‐treatment samples were determined using a large‐volume plating assay to improve the detection limit of the virus assay.ResultsTHERAFLEX UV‐Platelets dose‐dependently inactivated HEV in PCs. The standard UVC dose inactivated the virus to below the limit of detection, corresponding to a mean log reduction of greater than 3·5.ConclusionOur study demonstrates that the THERAFLEX UV‐Platelets system effectively inactivates HEV in PCs.