title: [Bacterial contamination: should it be detected or inactivated?].
abstract: The main cause of adverse events secondary to the transfusion of platelet concentrates (PC) is due to bacterial contamination. The detection of bacteria in PC is not associated with a beneficial effect in terms of prevention of fatal septic events. Inactivation of pathogen in PC using photochemical techniques is targeted not only to bacteria but also to a wide spectrum of viruses, spirochetes, parasites and leukocytes. Pathogen inactivation is a pro-active method which anticipates the contamination of the blood pool by emerging pathogens.
authors.affiliation: EFS-Alsace, INSERM U.311, 10 rue Spielmann, 67065 Strasbourg cedex, France. jeanpierre.cazenave@efs-alsace.fr
authors.forename: J-P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Cazenave
mesh_terms: D001419:Bacteria / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000635:transmission*; D001792:Blood Platelets / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D017713:Platelet Transfusion / Q000009:adverse effects*; D014777:Virus Diseases / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000635:transmission