Optimized Scansystem platelet kit for bacterial detection with enhanced sensitivity: detection within 24 h after spiking.
OBJECTIVE
The prevention and detection of bacterial contamination of platelet concentrates remains a major challenge for transfusion medicine. To be suitable for blood-transfusion services, the contamination detection method must be highly sensitive, easy to perform and preferably of low cost. In this spiking study, we evaluated the new optimized Scansystem Platelet Kit detection method for use on apheresis platelets.


METHODS
Apheresis platelet concentrates (APCs) were individually spiked with 10 colony-forming units (CFU)/ml of one of 10 different strains of bacteria. The spiked APCs were analysed at specific time-points during incubation by using the optimized Scansystem Platelet Kit. Bacterial enumeration was performed by plating onto blood agar.


RESULTS
All the bacterial strains tested were detected by using the optimized Scansystem Platelet Kit when sampled 24 h after spiking. Compared to the Scansystem standard kit, sensitivity was increased to < 50 CFU/ml. The identity of the spiked bacteria was confirmed by Gram staining and DNA fingerprinting.


CONCLUSIONS
The optimized Scansystem Platelet Kit was able to reliably detect, within 70 min, 10 transfusion-relevant bacterial species in APCs when a sample volume was taken 24 h after spiking. This is the first study carried out by using the optimized Scansystem bacterial detection that was found to have an enhanced sensitivity compared to the standard kit.
Schmidt
Michael
M
Institute of Transfusion Medicine and Immunohematology, German Red Cross, Johann Wolfgang Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany. mschmidt@bsdhessen.de
Weis
Christina
C
Heck
Julia
J
Montag
Thomas
T
Nicol
Sven-Boris
SB
Hourfar
Michael K
MK
Schaefer
Volker
V
Sireis
Walid
W
Roth
W Kurt
WK
Seifried
Erhard
E
D001419:Bacteria / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000517:prevention & control; D001792:Blood Platelets / Q000382:microbiology*; D006801:Humans; D017713:Platelet Transfusion / Q000592:standards*; D010983:Plateletpheresis / Q000592:standards; D011786:Quality Control; D011933:Reagent Kits, Diagnostic / Q000592:standards; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
D011933:Reagent Kits, Diagnostic