Association of Hypercoagulable States and Increased Platelet Adhesion and Aggregation with Bacterial Colonization of Intravenous Catheters

Bacterial adherence to intravenous catheters may be mediated, in part, by adherence to coagulation proteins and platelets. The possibility that catheter infection is associated with gene polymorphisms that cause hypercoagulability or increased platelet stickiness was examined. Among patients with infected catheters, there was no increase in the frequency of polymorphisms that increase coagulability, including factor V Leiden R506G, factor II (prothrombin) G20210A, and methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase C677T, compared with control subjects. The incidence of polymorphisms of the platelet beta(3) integrin among patients with infected catheters was also similar to that among control subjects. The C/D heterozygote of the variable number tandem repeat polymorphism and the C/T heterozygote of the KO polymorphism of glycoprotein Ibalpha were more frequent among patients with infected catheters than they were among control subjects. In a small proportion of patients, a genetic predisposition to platelet stickiness may be associated with infection of intravenous catheters, but in the majority, a recognized genetic tendency to hypercoagulability or platelet stickiness does not underlie infection.