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Novel automated microbial screening of platelet concentrates
Author(s) -
Gong J.,
HÖGman C. F.,
Lundholm M.,
Gustafsson I.
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
apmis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.909
H-Index - 88
eISSN - 1600-0463
pISSN - 0903-4641
DOI - 10.1111/j.1699-0463.1994.tb04848.x
Subject(s) - contamination , bacteria , bacterial growth , enterobacter aerogenes , microbiology and biotechnology , biology , food science , platelet , colony forming unit , microbiological culture , immunology , escherichia coli , ecology , biochemistry , genetics , gene
The recovery of bacteria and the speed of detection of microbial growth in platelet concentrates (PC) were studied, comparing a novel automated blood culture system (BacT/Alert) with two traditional methods. Full‐scale experiments were performed with a total of 33 units of PC (average content 320 × 10 9 platelets per unit) obtained from pooled buffy coats. Six strains known as possible PC contaminants were tested: S. epidermidis, S. aureus, P. aeruginosa, B. cereus, E. aerogenes , and S. sanguis. Using an inoculum of 50–98 bacteria/ml, bacterial contamination was detected in all of 11 PCs on 132 sampling occasions. With a small inoculum (0.3–9 bacteria/ml), the bacterial contamination was detected in all PCs in which abundant growth appeared, but failed to be detected in some instances where the bacterial content was very small. All of 11 uninoculated PC controls were negative. With the automated method the time for detection of a culture‐positive PC was 6–16 h, clearly shorter than with the two manual‐visual systems. The new system provides a rapid, reliable, and labour‐saving method for screening of bacterial contamination in PCs. This would increase safety particularly if the present 5‐day shelf life were extended.