INTRODUCTION

Prions are transmissible agents comprised of abnormal proteinaceous materials that lead to the precipitation of healthy protein within eukaryotic cells, leading to cell death. Prions have been associated with transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSE), fatal neurological diseases, that occur in humans and other animals. Some examples of TSE are Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) in humans, scrapie in sheep, and bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in cattle. Prions are considered highly resistant to most physical and chemical destruction agents, and in many cases are more resistant than bacterial spores to these agents (1). Prions are potential contaminants in materials and cell lines of mammalian origin and their inactivation/removal is required where their presence can be expected. They can also be found on equipment and medical devices exposed to contaminated materials. Empirical confirmation is recommended in the application of all prion inactivation processes as there are different contaminants, conflicting statements regarding performance, and limited information on many of the potential processes.