Bacteriological Study of Platelet Concentrates Stored at 22 C and 4 C

Abstract

Samples of platelet concentrate prepared by double plasmapheresis of volunteers were stored at 4 C and 22 C for four to ten days and cultured from 0072 hours on brain heart infusion media, thioglycolate broth, and tryptic soy broth and incubated at 22 and 37 C for 21 days. A closed system was used for 42 units and a limited entry system involving pooling of platelet concentrates was used for 68 units. All 110 units were negative for bacterial contamination at both 4 C and room temperature, based on cultures using multiple media under maximized growth conditions for anaerobic as well as aerobic bacteria. Platelet concentrates handled in both a closed system and a limited entry system and stored up to at least 72 hours at room temperature remained free of bacterial contamination and appeared safe for transfusion.

Bacterial contamination of single‐donor blood components

“…Barrett et al (1 992) found bacterial-derived adverse transfusion reactions more frequently in random platelet concentrates (0.1 4%) compared with apheresis concentrates (0.03%). Other investigators have described contamination rates at 0.3% (Mallin et al, 1973;Wren et al, 1974) to 2.4% depending on platelet concentrate shelf-life at the time of sampling (Buchholz et al, 1973).…”

“…In earlier reports a 2% blood contamination rate with staphylococcus spp. was recorded (Mollison et al, 1987). More recently contamination rates of 5-0.0001 YO have been reported (Puckett, 1988;Saxena et al, 1990;Goldman et al, 1991).…”

Transfusion-associated bacterial sepsis

“…Of the three measures, this one varies the most widely; it is susceptible to errors in aseptic technique, and the observation cannot be confirmed by comparing bacterial strains isolated from the blood component and that of the patient. Most often, these studies have focused on bacterial contamination of random donor platelet concentrates, with positive cultures ranging from 0 to 10% (6,7,22,23,31,48,72,125,154) and apheresis platelets ranging from 0 to 5% (2,29,83,133). In over 75% of "contaminated" platelet concentrates, fewer than 10 organisms per ml were detected (6,22,31).…”

Transfusion-associated bacterial sepsis.

“…Of the three measures, this one varies the most widely; it is susceptible to errors in aseptic technique, and the observation cannot be confirmed by comparing bacterial strains isolated from the blood component and that of the patient. Most often, these studies have focused on bacterial contamination of random donor platelet concentrates, with positive cultures ranging from 0 to 10% (6, 7, 22, 23, 31, 48, 72, 125, 154) and apheresis platelets ranging from 0 to 5% (2,29,83,133). In over 75% of "contaminated" platelet concentrates, fewer than 10 organisms per ml were detected (6,22,31).…”