Screening of platelets for bacterial contamination at the Welsh Blood Service

Pearce, Simon H. S.; Rowe, G. P.; Field, S. P.

doi:10.1111/j.1365-3148.2010.01037.x

Cited by 81 publications

(117 citation statements)

References 23 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

110

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Firstly, the use of an anaerobic culture bottle extends the bacterial spectrum that can be identified as a contamination. This benefit has been confirmed by several reports [11, 18, 39, 40]. For instance, a study from NHS Blood and Transplant showed that 66% of all confirmed positive results were only detected in anaerobic culture bottles, whereas 8% were positive in an aerobic and 26% in both bottle types [17].…”

Section: Anaerobic Screening – Is It Worth the Effort?supporting

confidence: 66%

Microbiological Screening of Platelet Concentrates in Europe

Prax

Bekeredjian‐Ding

Krut³

2019

Transfus Med Hemother

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The risk of transfusion-associated sepsis due to transmission of bacteria is a persistent problem in the transfusion field. Despite numerous interventions to reduce the risk, cases of bacterial sepsis following transfusion are repeatedly being reported. Especially platelet concentrates are highly susceptible to bacterial contaminations due to the growth-promoting storage conditions. In Europe, blood establishments and national authorities have implemented individual precaution measures to mitigate the risk of bacterial transmission. To obtain an overview of the different approaches, we compiled information from national authorities, blood establishments, and the current literature. Several aspects such as the shelf life of platelets, time of sampling and the applied control measures are compared between the member states. The analysis of the data revealed a broad heterogeneity of procedures on a national level ranging from platelet release without any safety testing up to mandatory screening of all platelet concentrates prior to transfusion. Despite the substantial progress made in recent years, several bacterial reports on transfusion-associated sepsis indicate that further efforts are needed to increase the safety of blood transfusions in the long term.

show abstract

Section: Anaerobic Screening – Is It Worth the Effort?supporting

confidence: 66%

Microbiological Screening of Platelet Concentrates in Europe

Prax

Bekeredjian‐Ding

Krut³

2019

Transfus Med Hemother

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…If the instrument detects bacterial growth in the bottle it is flagged and the corresponding platelet unit is discarded. While this process is reasonably successful at detecting fast growing organisms, many of the slow growing species do not grow to a high enough titer to be detected, thus creating the potential for false-negative units to be released for transfusion 7,12,14,16,22 . Unlike culture based detection systems, rapid point of care testing is typically performed later in the platelet storage period when the bacterial load has increased significantly.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Research suggests that the bacterial load at the time of contamination is low, <100 colony forming units (CFU)/product 2,16 , however the nutrient rich environment and room temperature storage allows contaminating bacteria to proliferate to dangerously high titers prior to transfusion. Currently, the only approved methods available to prevent bacterially contaminated products from reaching a platelet recipient is through the use of culture based systems and rapid point of care testing.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Treatment of Platelet Products with Riboflavin and UV Light: Effectiveness Against High Titer Bacterial Contamination

Keil

Hovenga

Gilmour

et al. 2015

JoVE

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Contamination of platelet units by bacteria has long been acknowledged as a significant transfusion risk due to their post-donation storage conditions. Products are routinely stored at 22 °C on an agitating shaker, a condition that can promote bacterial growth. Although the total number of bacteria believed to be introduced into a platelet product is extremely low, these bacteria can multiply to a very high titer prior to transfusion, potentially resulting in serious adverse events. The aim of this study was to evaluate a riboflavin based pathogen reduction process against a panel of bacteria that have been identified as common contaminants of platelet products. This panel included the following organisms: S. epidermidis, S. aureus, S. mitis, S. pyogenes, S. marcescens, Y. enterocolitica, B. neotomae, B. cereus, E. coli, P. aeruginosa and K. pneumoniae. Each platelet unit was inoculated with a high bacterial load and samples were removed both before and after treatment. A colony forming assay, using an end point dilution scheme, was used to determine the pre-treatment and post-treatment bacterial titers. Log reduction was calculated by subtracting the post-treatment titer from the pre-treatment titer. The following log reductions were observed: S. epidermidis 4.7 log (99.998%), S. aureus 4.8 log (99.998%), S. mitis 3.7 log (99.98%), S. pyogenes 2.6 log (99.7%), S. marcescens 4.0 log (99.99%), Y. enterocolitica 3.3 log (99.95%), B. neotomae 5.4 log (99.9996%), B. cereus 2.6 log (99.7%), E. coli ≥5.4 log (99.9996%), P. aeruginosa 4.7 log (99.998%) and K. pneumoniae 2.8 log (99.8%). The results from this study suggest the process could help to lower the risk of severe adverse transfusion events associated with bacterial contamination.

show abstract

“…The implementation of routine bacterial detection methods to screen platelets for bacterial contamination can further reduce but not completely eliminate the risk of PC-transmitted bacterial infection [34]. Bacterial detection assays only detect less than 40% of contaminated products [35,36]. Therefore, comprehensive protection from bacterial infections including fatal sepsis transmitted by contaminated PCs remains the major reason for implementation of PI.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Model Calculations to Quantify Clinical and Economic Effects of Pathogen Inactivation in Platelet Concentrates

Berger¹,

Bauer²,

Schopohl

et al. 2013

Oncol Res Treat

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background: Future shortages in platelet supply are expected in Germany due to demographic changes. A rising cancer incidence will lead to an increasing demand for platelet concentrates (PCs) while the number of potential donors will decrease. Pathogen inactivation (PI) aims to inactivate various infectious agents including emerging pathogens to extend the shelf-life of PCs and reduce the frequency of acute transfusion reactions (ATRs). In this context, the clinical and economic impact of PI on platelet transfusion was evaluated. Material and Methods: Model calculations were conducted for 2 scenarios considering different production settings. Frequencies of ATRs were based on literature analyses, platelet and ATR costs on cost analyses. Results: The estimated average costs for ATRs of grade 1 and 2, irrespective of origin, and grade 3 (allergic) were € 104, € 238, and € 1,200, respectively. Approximately 400 PC-related ATRs per 10⁵ transfusions can be avoided, with estimated savings amounting to € 77,000. The total cost increase was calculated to approximately € 30-50 per PI-treated PC. Conclusion: PI potentially saves plasma, prolongs shelf-life, decreases donor deferral, and reduces ATRs. Model calculations considering clinical and safety benefits of PI show a rational cost increase. The impact of PI should be further evaluated from a societal perspective regarding future blood supply and infectious disease globalization.

show abstract

Screening of platelets for bacterial contamination at the Welsh Blood Service

Cited by 81 publications

References 23 publications

Microbiological Screening of Platelet Concentrates in Europe

Microbiological Screening of Platelet Concentrates in Europe

Treatment of Platelet Products with Riboflavin and UV Light: Effectiveness Against High Titer Bacterial Contamination

Model Calculations to Quantify Clinical and Economic Effects of Pathogen Inactivation in Platelet Concentrates

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About