Pathogen inactivation of platelet concentrates and fresh frozen plasma.

Transfusion of blood products carries the risk of pathogen transmission, despite careful donor selection and screening tests. This is due to viral transmission from window-period donations, the emergence of new pathogens such as variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, for which routine screening tests are not yet available, and to bacterial contamination. Techniques have been developed to inactivate pathogens in both fresh frozen plasma and platelet concentrates. The relative benefits to the recipient, and the ease of incorporation into blood component processing are considered for the technologies currently available.