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Isabelle Besson Faure
Rapid screening for bacterial contamination of blood products Schnellverfahren zum Nachweis bakterieller Kontaminationen bei Blutprodukten
Keywords: bacteria screening, blood components, rapid detection, Scansystem, transfusion-related sepsis
Many techniques have been explored to detect bacteria in blood products in order to prevent transfusion-related bacteria contamination (TRBC) and transmission. In a simple way, these techniques may be divided into two groups based on their rapidity to obtain the test result. The culture methods require from several hours to several days to get the final result; the rapid methods require from several minutes to a few hours to detect bacteria in blood products. It is usually stated that the rapid methods have a strong advantage by providing rapid results, but they are also complex and require well trained technicians. By contrast, culture methods are easy to handle but results are available with a certain delay. Today, three devices are commercially available to screen blood components. The BacT/ALERT (Biomérieux) and the eBDS device (Pall) are both automated culture systems based on the measurement of a change in the gas concentration due to bacterial metabolism. The Scansystem? (Hemosystem) belongs to the second group of methods. It is a fluorescence-based bacteria detection performed in 70 min. Other rapid techniques are being developed, such as flow cytometry or polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Based on their sensitivity and specificity, the intended use of these bacterial detection methods varies from early testing to release a safe product, to late testing close to the transfusion time (point-of-care testing “POCT”) to guarantee a safe transfusion.
LaboratoriumsMedizin, Walter de Gruyter
Print ISSN: 0025-8466
Volume: 30, 05/2006
Pages: 91 - 100