Change in blood test after irradiation with high doses for inactivation of Lassa virus

In 2006 we had a patient with Lassa fever in the University Hospital of Frankfurt. To insure a short turn-around time from the laboratory, it was necessary to have blood which was not contaminated with viruses. One method of achieving this is by irradiating the blood with high doses of ionising radiation. Inactivation of arena viruses requires doses between 12 kGy and 20 kGy, depending on temperature. In this study we investigated if plasma and serum parameters are changed by irradiation with 5 kGy, 10 kGy, 15 kGy, 20 kGy or 40 kGy of 10 MeV electrons. For the 22 serum parameters measured there was no influence of radiation up to 20 kGy. Only at 40 kGy was a significant decrease noted. For the six plasma parameters the values were significantly dose dependent. To correct this a mathematical function was defined. It is possible to inactivate Lassa virus with high doses of radiation. Most of the measured blood values don’t change. For those which were influenced it was possible to define a mathematical function.