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Updated: Feb 4, 2026

Preparation and Pathogen Inactivation of Double Dose Buffy Coat Platelet Products using the INTERCEPT Blood System
Published on: December 7, 2012
Ultraviolet C light efficiently inactivates nonenveloped hepatitis A virus and feline calicivirus in platelet
Ute Gravemann1, Wiebke Handke1, Bernd Lambrecht1
1German Red Cross Blood Service NSTOB, Springe, Germany.
Background:
Nonenveloped transfusion-transmissible viruses such as hepatitis A virus (HAV) and hepatitis E virus (HEV) are resistant to many of the common virus inactivation procedures for blood products. This study investigated the pathogen inactivation (PI) efficacy of the THERAFLEX UV-Platelets system against two nonenveloped viruses: HAV and feline calicivirus (FCV), in platelet concentrates (PCs).
Study Design And Methods:
PCs in additive solution were spiked with high titers of cell culture-derived HAV and FCV, and treated with ultraviolet C at various doses. Pre- and posttreatment samples were taken and the level of viral infectivity determined at each dose. For some samples, large-volume plating was performed to improve the detection limit of the virus assay.
Results:
THERAFLEX UV-Platelets reduced HAV titers in PCs to the limit of detection, resulting in a virus reduction factor of greater than 4.2 log steps, and reduced FCV infectivity in PCs by 3.0 ± 0.2 log steps.
Conclusions:
THERAFLEX UV-Platelets effectively inactivates HAV and FCV in platelet units.
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