Repeated automated plasmapheresis in goats (Capra hircus): a clinically safe and long-term refinement to current antibody recovery techniques.

Automated plasmapheresis is an optimal method of plasma collection because the donor is a part of a closed loop where whole blood is withdrawn and separated and packed cells are returned in a serial fashion until the desired amount of plasma is obtained. The typical approach to collection of antibody-rich plasma involves withdrawal of whole blood from vaccinated animals, yielding approximately 1000 ml plasma from each animal, which is euthanized after this process. In the present study, 32 goats (Capra hircus) were vaccinated and conditioned for restraint in a modified Panepinto sling. Each animal was monitored clinically, including complete and differential blood counts and serum chemistries 24 h before and 24 to 48 h after each procedure. A jugular vein was surgically prepped, a 16-gauge needle catheter was placed, and the animal was attached to an automated plasmapheresis machine. After plasma removal, return of the resuspended packed blood cells, and infusion of 500 ml 0.9% NaCl, the animal was disconnected from the machine, the catheter removed, and the animal returned to the barn. There were no clinically significant changes in either the complete blood counts or the clinical chemistries during the course of this study. These 32 animals produced 240,000 ml of immunoglobulin-rich plasma over the course of this project and more than 949,000 ml of plasma to date. This study identifies a refinement in current antibody-recovery techniques and potentially reduces the number of animals necessary to produce bioreagents on a long-term and continual basis.