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Updated: Aug 17, 2026

Treatment of Platelet Products with Riboflavin and UV Light: Effectiveness Against High Titer Bacterial Contamination
Published on: August 24, 2015
Risks of blood transfusion
1Department of Pathology, Stanford University School of Medicine, 300 Pasteur Drive, H-1402 Stanford, CA 94305-5324, USA. ltgoodno@stanford.edu
Abstract:
This article discusses advances in blood safety during the last 20 years, particularly for prevention of transfusion-transmitted viral infections. Although the most serious known risks from blood transfusion are administrative errors, transfusion-related acute lung injury, and bacterial contamination in platelet products, infection from emerging pathogens such as West Nile virus emphasizes the need for implementing proactive strategies. Pathogen inactivation technologies and reactive strategies such as nucleic acid testing ensure continued advances in blood safety.
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