Bacterial and fungal contamination of human fetal liver collected transvaginally for hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

Abstract

Transplantation of fetal hematopoietic stem cells is a new therapy for fetuses diagnosed in utero with inherited disorders. However, prior to transplantation of fetal stem cells, the cells must be free of microbial contamination. In order to investigate the contamination of human fetal liver tissue, we determined the rate and types of bacterial and fungal contamination of human fetal liver tissue collected transvaginally for use in stem cell transplantation by using the US Pharmacopoiea Assay. We found a high rate of contamination with bacteria or fungi (12 of the 14 fetal livers, or 85%). Non-fermenting gram-negative rods were the predominant contaminants. The high rate of microbial contamination of fetal tissue suggests that techniques for tissue collection need to be improved before fetal stem cells are used for clinical transplantation.