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Bacterial sepsis is second only to ABO incompatibility as a cause of death from transfusion.
Bacterial contamination of platelets is recognised as the most significant residual infectious risk of transfusion in developed countries.
All platelet components from Lifeblood are screened for bacterial contamination.
The removal of potentially bacteria-contaminated components from the blood supply prior to transfusion improves the safety of the blood supply and significantly reduces adverse outcomes.
Additionally, knowledge of potential bacterial contamination should help early clinical review and consideration of antibiotic intervention in situations where components have already been transfused.
Lifeblood continuously monitors bacterial contamination rates in Australia.
Updated September 2025
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Bacterial Contamination Screening
Each platelet component is sampled at least 36 hours after collection. Samples are then screened on the bioMérieux BACT/ALERT Automated Microbial Detection System, which uses both aerobic and anaerobic culture bottles.
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