Bacterial Contamination:
The Most Frequent
Transfusion-Transmitted Infection
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Bacterial contamination is acknowledged as the most frequent transfusion-transmitted infection of all blood components [3]. Bacteria are a particular problem in platelet concentrates because of their storage at room temperature, which favors rapid bacterial growth. In addition, bacteria are an under-reported problem in platelet transfusions [4].
| Prevalence
of Bacterial Contamination of Cellular Blood Products: Summarized from the Available Prospective Studies [4] |
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| Product | No. of Studies | No. of Positive Units | No. of Units Tested | Positive Units (per 105 U) | Approximate Frequency |
| Whole Blood Derived Platelet Concentrates (a) | 8 | 64 | 188,958 | 33.9 | 1 in 3,000 |
| Apheresis Platelet Concentrates (b) | 5 | 21 | 41,175 | 51.0 | 1 in 2,000 |
| Red Blood Cells (c) | 2 | 1 | 38,475 | 2.6 | 1 in 38,000 |
| Overall | 15 | 86 | 268,608 | 32.0* | 1 in 3,000 |
| References: a[5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12],
b[7, 8, 13, 14, 15],
c[7, 14] *95% confidence intervals; 25.6 to 39.1 |
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Impact of Bacterial Contamination
- Transfusion-associated bacterial sepsis is estimated to occur in 1 case per 6 contaminated units transfused [16], and can be fatal in up to 1 in 4 cases [17].
- In the UK, Serious Hazards of Transfusion (SHOT) data from 1996 to 2001 indicate that 60% of all reported cases of transfusion-transmitted infection were attributed to bacterial contamination [18].
- In France, Haemovigilance Network data reported 15% of transfusion-related deaths between 1996 - 1997 were due to bacterial contamination [4, 19].
Current Safeguards
Despite a battery of tests for viral pathogens, only a single bacterial
strain—Treponema
pallidum, the bacterium that causes syphilis—has historically
been selected for routine screening.
Although automated culture methods are available for detecting the presence of different classes of bacteria, these systems have limitations, including sampling errors, false-positive and false-negative results, and long lead times of up to 48 hours for reporting.
Benefits of the INTERCEPT Blood System
The INTERCEPT Blood System offers broad-spectrum inactivation of bacterial
pathogens in platelet concentrates and plasma, reducing the risk of transfusion-transmitted
infection.
Blood
Safety section page 1 of 5 
Use of the INTERCEPT Blood System in the United States is limited by Federal law to investigational use. If you are a resident of the U.S., please click here.
The information on this site is not country-specific, and may contain information that is outside the approved indications for the country in which you are located. The INTERCEPT Blood System is CE marked for use with platelets and plasma.
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