The purpose of the present overview was to determine the factors influencing the removal of infectious agents from red cell concentrates by filtration. In general, the efficacy of the filtration method depends on the physical as well as the functional properties of blood cells. These properties are highly influenced by the changes exerted on the blood cells during blood collection, processing and storage and the filtration method itself. In particular, the removal of infectious agents of red cell concentrates by filtration will be determined by the type of virus and therewith the binding towards leukocytes, the type of bacteria and holding period before filtration, the deformability of infected cells and the disintegration of cells in the filter.