Contamination of bone marrow transplants from peripheral blood

BMJ 1994;309:958 (8 October)

Letters

Contamination of bone marrow transplants from peripheral blood

EDITOR, - We agree with Tessa L Holyoake and Ian M Franklinthat transplants of peripheral blood stem cells may transformmedical oncology, but their infective risks were not mentioned.¹Harvested bone marrow may contain bacteria,*RF 2-5* and graftsof peripheral blood stem cells may do too. In two cases recently,contaminated grafts were infused uneventfully when the patientsreceived prophylaxis with antibiotics.

Peripheral blood stem cells were harvested with full asepticprecautions being taken. Duplicate samples were taken beforeand after cryopreservation and cultured directly and by brothenrichment for conventional and psychrophilic bacteria. Isolationof the same organism from both duplicate samples was consideredto be significant. Since August 1993 we have monitored 59 harvestsof peripheral blood stem cells from 31 patients. Contaiminantswere isolated from 10 harvests from 10 patients (coagulase negativestaphylococci (six cases), Bacillus spp (two), Staphylococcusaureus (one), and Pseudomonas putida (one)); none . . . [Full text of this article]