EAST HILLS, N.Y., Nov 03, 2004 (United Press International via COMTEX) -- A U.S. filtration manufacturer said it has developed a new filter that removes from blood the infectious agent that causes human mad cow disease.

In a study conducted in Europe, filtration technology produced by Pall Corp. reduced prions in known infected blood samples below detectable levels, the company reported at the recent annual meeting of the AABB, formerly known as the American Association of Blood Banks.

Prions are thought to cause a fatal, brain illness known as variant Creutzfeldt Jakob disease, which humans can contract from consuming beef products contaminated with the mad cow prion.

Concerns about transmission by infected blood were heightened recently by two cases in England where individuals had evidence of vCJD infection that appeared to be linked to blood transfusions. There is no screening test to detect the mad cow or vCJD prion in blood.

Pall said it expects to launch the filtration technology, known as the Leukotrap Affinity Prion Reduction Filter, in Europe in 2005 and will file for approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration the same year.

The company also is looking into whether the technology could be used to screen cattle for mad cow infection.

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