Bacterial contamination of blood components: Norwegian strategies in identifying donors with higher risk of inducing septic transfusion reactions in recipients

The epidemiology of bacterial culture–positive and septic transfusion reactions at a large tertiary academic center: 2009 to 2016

“…While rare, more than half of STRs were either clinically severe or life‐threatening. Consistent with other studies, we report that mucosa and skin microbiota—notably, S. aureus , CoNS, and other commensal organisms—account for the majority of BCPTRs, likely having been introduced during the blood collection process. Of interest, while Gram‐negative bacteria (notably Yersinia ) are typically implicated in severe RBC‐associated sepsis, the few cases of RBC‐associated BCPTRs in this report were attributed to CoNS and Cutibacterium (formerly Propionibacterium ) acnes .…”

Platelet safety strategies in Japan: impact of short shelf life on the incidence of septic reactions

“…Blood donors at high risk of bacteremia or who have bacterially contaminated skin lesions can be excluded by careful assessment using pre-donation questionnaires. 7 Bacterial load can be minimized or prevented from entering the blood collection bag by careful skin preparation with disinfectant and diversion of initial blood flow. 8,9 Contaminated units can be detected by screening PC samples by culture methods [10][11][12][13] and by visually inspecting components, or by rapid tests immediately before transfusion.…”

“…Various interventions to mitigate these consequences of PC transfusion have been proposed, as follows. Blood donors at high risk of bacteremia or who have bacterially contaminated skin lesions can be excluded by careful assessment using pre‐donation questionnaires . Bacterial load can be minimized or prevented from entering the blood collection bag by careful skin preparation with disinfectant and diversion of initial blood flow .…”

Intermittent bacteremia detected in an asymptomatic apheresis platelet donor with repeat positive culture for Escherichia coli: a case report

“…Management of donors with positive blood cultures requires consideration of both the immediate implication for the health of the donor and their future eligibility to donate. Norway has implemented strict strategies to identify donors at a higher risk of bacteremia at the donation time . A Norwegian user evaluation conducted in 2012 showed the need to improve the donor questionnaire, the importance of the routine interview before each donation, and the need to improve training of blood bank staff to recognize high‐risk donors.…”

“…Norway has implemented strict strategies to identify donors at a higher risk of bacteremia at the donation time. 17 A Norwegian user evaluation conducted in 2012 showed the need to improve the donor questionnaire, the importance of the routine interview before each donation, and the need to improve training of blood bank staff to recognize high-risk donors. In addition to prophylactic antibiotic treatment before bloody dental work, potential Norwegian donors with skin conditions such as atopic eczema are deferred due to the risk of carrying S. aureus.…”