Assessment of leucoreduction of sickle cell trait blood: quality of the filtered product.

Background: With the implementation of universal leucoreduction of blood components in several industrialised countries, the problems associated with leucocyte filtration of sickle cell trait blood have been reconsidered. In this study, we assessed the use of high performance filters for leucoreduction of packed red blood cells donated from subjects with sickle cell trait and evaluated the incidence and recurrence of altered red blood cell filterability.

Materials And Methods: Twenty-one volunteer donors with HbAS were compared to 21 donors with HbAA selected at random.

Evaluation of HTLV-I removal by filtration of blood cell components in a routine setting.

Background: WBC depletion by filtration may prevent the transmission of HTLV-I, which requires cell-to-cell contact. The removal of HTLV-I-infected cells in routinely filtered blood cell components was measured.

Study Design And Methods: The study was conducted in Martinique where systematic screening for HTLV-I and -II and universal leukoreduction are mandatory.

Quantitation of HTLV-I proviral load by a TaqMan real-time PCR assay.

A quantitative real-time PCR assay was developed to measure the proviral load of human T-lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I) in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). The HTLV-I copy number was referred to the actual amount of cellular DNA by means of the quantitation of the albumin gene. Ten copies of HTLV-I DNA could be detected with 100% sensitivity, and the assay had a wide range of at least 5 log(10).