title: Bacterial contamination of platelets and septic transfusions: review of the literature and discussion on recent patents about biofilm treatment.
abstract: In spite of the improvements in transfusion safety occurred in the last decades, platelet septic transfusions still represent a cause for concern. Microbial screening of blood products cannot ensure transfusion sterility, so that pathogen inactivation methods and a timely management of infectious events actually play the most relevant role. Biofilm production has been associated to several human illnesses; also, it promotes bacterial adherence to platelet bags and colonization of recipient's catheter after transfusion. Therefore, facing biofilm communities is required to reduce the contamination risk and the occurrence of post-infusion events. In this context, the use of tigecycline as a wide-spectrum antibiofilm drug is discussed, along with recent patents about biofilm treatment by quorum-sensing blockers, bacteriophage-based therapy and antibiofilm oral compounds.
authors.affiliation: Department of Transfusion Medicine, Spirito Santo Hospital, Pescara, Italy. vincsavi@yahoo.it
authors.forename: Vincenzo
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Savini
authors.forename: Chiara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Catavitello
authors.forename: Daniela
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Astolfi
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Balbinot
authors.forename: Gioviana
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Masciarelli
authors.forename: Arianna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pompilio
authors.forename: Anna M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Quaglietta
authors.forename: Patrizia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Accorsi
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Di Bonaventura
authors.forename: Claudio
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: D'Amario
authors.forename: Domenico
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: D'Antonio
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Iacone
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D018441:Biofilms / Q000187:drug effects*; D004866:Equipment Contamination / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D010330:Patents as Topic; D017713:Platelet Transfusion / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000379:methods / Q000401:mortality; D018805:Sepsis / Q000382:microbiology / Q000517:prevention & control
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents