Efficacy of Epstein‐Barr virus removal by leukoreduction of red blood cells

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Abstract
BACKGROUND: Epstein‐Barr virus (EBV) infection results in life‐long carriage of latent virus in B lymphocytes in the majority of the adult population, including blood donors. The removal of EBV from red blood cell (RBC) components by leukoreduction was assessed.STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Sixteen randomly selected fresh AS‐5 units were leukoreduced by filtration. B lymphocytes from preleukoreduction specimens and mononuclear cells (MNCs) from postleukoreduction specimens were assayed for EBV DNA with sensitive real‐time polymerase chain reaction (PCR).RESULTS: EBV genomes were detected in CD19+ B cells in 14 of 16 preleukoreduced RBC units. EBV genomic copy number in the units ranged from 0.18 to 96.84 per 105 B lymphocytes representing approximately 135 to 72,630 total EBV genomes per bag. Leukoreduction rendered all but one unit EBV‐negative by PCR. The lone PCR‐positive unit after leukoreduction amplified 1.2 EBV genome copies from MNCs recovered from the entire unit of leukoreduced RBCs; this unit had the highest EBV viral load before leukoreduction (72,630 EBV genomes).CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that a 4‐log reduction of EBV genomic copy number can be achieved with leukoreduction of RBC units and renders most RBC units EBV‐negative by sensitive PCR.