METHODE ZUR BESEITIGUNG VON INFEKTIONSERREGERN IN GEWEBEN

A method for externally eradicating infectious pathogenic contaminants, such as enveloped viruses, bacteria, trypanosomal and malarial parasites, present in body tissues, such as blood, blood components, semen, skin, and cornea, before the treated body tissues are introduced into, or transplanted onto, the body of a human or an animal. Such method includes the steps of: (1) admixing an effective, non-toxic amount of photoactive compound, which has a selectively for binding to the infectious pathogenic biological contaminants present therein, with the body tissues outside the body to produce resulting body tissues; (2) maintaining the resulting body tissues in a suitable container in which there is no net mass transfer, and (3) irradiating the resulting body tissues in the container for an effective period of time with an effective level of radiation such that the radiation penetrates the resulting body tissues and eradicates the photoactive-compound-bound contaminants present in the resulting body tissues and produces a decontaminated body tissue suitable for introducing into, or transplanting onto, the body of a human or animal.