Pathogen inactivation

Pathogen inactivation
A process designed to eliminate most pathogens — viruses, bacteria and fungi — from water, air or donated blood. Sewage purification systems depend upon pathogen inactivation to purify water to the extent it may sometimes even be safe enough to drink. Air purification systems, for example those incorporating a HEPA filter, also are designed to achieve pathogen inactivation and to cleanse the air of germs. With donated blood, the process of pathogen inactivation depends upon the fact that three components of blood that are given in transfusions — red blood cells to carry oxygen, platelets to help blood clot and plasma for clotting and other purposes — do not contain DNA or RNA, the basic genetic materials of life, whereas viruses, bacteria and fungi do. Therefore inactivating DNA or RNA can selectively kill these pathogens while leaving the blood itself unharmed. One form of pathogen inactivation for blood uses a chemical that, when exposed to ultraviolet light, binds to the genetic material. The bonds prevent the two strands of DNA's double helix from unzipping, thereby preventing germs from replicating. RNA, the genetic material in some viruses such as HIV, is similarly immobilized. There is current concern as to whether the technique can inactivate all viruses when they are present in large numbers. The technique is not designed to inactivate prions, which cause mad cow disease and its human equivalent, variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, because prions are proteins and do not have DNA or RNA. And the process cannot be used to clean up white cell packs for transfusion because white cells have a nucleus and it contains DNA (so the process would inactivate the white cells). A platelet system uses a synthetic chemical known as a psoralen and a chain of three transparent plastic bags connected by tubes. The platelets are put into the first bag where they come in contact with psoralen. They drip into the second bag, which is placed in a machine photocopier to expose them to ultraviolet light for about three minutes. Then in the third bag, an absorbent material removes the psoralen. Different chemicals have to be used for the pathogen inactivation of red blood cells because light cannot penetrate these cells to activate a psoralen.

Medical dictionary. 2011.

Игры ⚽ Нужно сделать НИР?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Blood cleaner — A process designed to eliminate most pathogens viruses, bacteria and fungi from donated blood. The process is termed pathogen inactivation. It depends upon the fact that three components of blood that are given in transfusions red blood cells to… …   Medical dictionary

  • Transfusion transmitted infection — A Transfusion transmitted infection (TTI) is a virus, parasite, or other potential pathogen that can be transmitted in donated blood through a transfusion to a recipient. The term is usually limited to known pathogens, but also sometimes includes …   Wikipedia

  • Haemonetics — Infobox Company company name = Haemonetics company company type = Public (nyse|HAE) foundation = 1971 location city = Braintree, Massachusetts location country = USA company slogan = key people = Brad Nutter, President and CEO Peter Allen,… …   Wikipedia

  • Hepatitis F virus — Hepatitis F is a hypothetical virus linked to hepatitis. Several hepatitis F candidates emerged in the 1990s; none of these reports have been substantiated. [cite journal | author=Uchida T | title=Genetic variations of the hepatitis B virus and… …   Wikipedia

  • Terren Peizer — Terren S. Peizer (born 1959) is an American investor and business executive. He is currently Chairman and CEO of Hythiam, Inc., a public company offering the Prometa treatment program for drug and alcohol addiction. Earlier in his career Peizer… …   Wikipedia

  • Enzyme inhibitor — Enzyme inhibitors are molecules that bind to enzymes and decrease their activity. Since blocking an enzyme s activity can kill a pathogen or correct a metabolic imbalance, many drugs are enzyme inhibitors. They are also used as herbicides and… …   Wikipedia

  • Blood transfusion — Intervention Plastic bag containing packed red blood cells in citrate, phosphate, dextrose, and adenine (CPDA) solution …   Wikipedia

  • Complement system — This article is about an aspect of the immune system. For other uses, see complement (disambiguation). The complement system helps or “complements” the ability of antibodies and phagocytic cells to clear pathogens from an organism. It is part of… …   Wikipedia

  • Rhinosporidium seeberi — Taxobox color = khaki image caption = regnum = Protista phylum = Choanozoa classis = Mesomycetozoea ordo = Dermocystidium familia = genus = Rhinosporidium species = seeberi binomial = binomial authority = Rhinosporidium seeberi was first… …   Wikipedia

  • Antibiotic resistance — is a type of drug resistance where a microorganism is able to survive exposure to an antibiotic. While a spontaneous or induced genetic mutation in bacteria may confer resistance to antimicrobial drugs, genes that confer resistance can be… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”