Abstract
Advances in screening for infections improve the safety of donated blood. Transfusion-related bacterial sepsis, although not established in Zimbabwe, stills makes bacterial contamination of blood clinically relevant. This cross-sectional study was conducted in Harare. Bacteriological and antibiotic susceptibility testing were done using standard methods. Of the 196 samples analyzed, 6 (3.1%) were contaminated with bacteria. Platelets had a significantly high contamination rate compared to other blood products. Bacteria showed varying patterns of susceptibility to the antibiotics tested. The prevalence of bacterial contamination in blood products suggests that patients who receive blood products are at risk of developing infection.
Highlights
Advances in screening for infections improve the safety of donated blood
From all blood products sampled, platelets had the highest prevalence of bacterial contamination; 10.3% Gram-positive bacteria (S. aureus, coagulase-negative Staphylococci, and Bacillus sp.) and Gram-negative bacteria (E .coli) were isolated, accounting for 83% and 17% of the platelet samples, respectively
Bacterial contamination of blood products remains a very critical transfusion related risk often ignored in Africa
Summary
Advances in screening for infections improve the safety of donated blood. Transfusion-related bacterial sepsis, not established in Zimbabwe, stills makes bacterial contamination of blood clinically relevant. In the United States, bacterial contamination is considered to be the most prevalent infectious risk of blood transfusion and accounts for mortality rates ranging from 1:20,000 to 1:85,000 donor exposures each year [6]. Gram-positive bacteria isolated were coagulase-negative Staphylococcus, S. aureus, and Bacillus spp., while Gram-negative bacteria included Yersinia enterocolitica, Citrobacter freundii, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Klebsiella pnuemoniae. These bacterial species have been implicated in studies carried out in Nigeria, the United States, France, and Japan, clearly indicating that they are a real threat to blood supplies worldwide [10,11,12,13]. The prevalence of bacterial contamination and the clinical implications of contaminated blood and its products in Zimbabwe are not yet known
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary 
Published Version (
Free)
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call