Presence of Gram‐negative bacteria and Staphylococcus aureus on the skin of blood donors in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Issue 2 (7th December 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Heroes, Anne‐Sophie; Okitale, Patient; Ndalingosu, Natacha; Vandekerckhove, Philippe; Lunguya, Octavie; Jacobs, Jan
• Is Part Of: Transfusion. Volume 63:Issue 2(2023)
• Page Start: 360
• Page End: 372
• Publication Date: 2022-12-07
• Subjects: antisepsis -- bacteria -- blood transfusion -- skin -- sub‐Saharan Africa; Hematology -- Periodicals; Blood -- Transfusion -- Periodicals; Blood Group Antigens -- Periodicals; Blood Preservation -- Periodicals; Blood Transfusion -- Periodicals; 615
• DOI: 10.1111/trf.17196
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0041-1132

Abstract

Abstract: Background: Skin bacteria may contaminate blood products but few data are available on sub‐Saharan Africa (sSA). We assessed the presence of Gram‐negative bacteria and Staphylococcus aureus on blood donor skin and evaluated skin antisepsis in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Study Design and Methods: Among blood donors at the National Blood Transfusion Center (NBTC) and at a rural hospital, the antecubital fossa skin of the non‐disinfected arm (not used for blood collection) was swabbed (25cm 2 surface) and cultured for total and Gram‐negative bacterial counts. Bacteria were identified with MALDI‐TOF and tested for antibiotic susceptibility by disk diffusion. For evaluation of the NBTC antisepsis procedure (i.e., ethanol 70%), the culture results of the disinfected arm (used for blood collection) were compared with those of the non‐disinfected arm. Results: Median total bacterial counts on 161 studied non‐disinfected arms were 1065 Colony‐Forming Units (CFU) per 25 cm 2, with 43.8% (70/160) of blood donors growing Gram‐negative bacteria and 3.8% (6/159) Staphylococcus aureus (2/6 methicillin‐resistant). Non‐fermentative Gram‐negative rods predominated (74/93 isolates, majority Pseudomonas spp., Acinetobacter spp.). Enterobacterales comprised 19/93 isolates (mostly Pantoea spp. and Enterobacter spp.), 5/19 were multidrug‐resistant. In only two cases (1.9%, 2/108) the NBTC antisepsis procedure met the acceptance criterion of ≤2 CFU/25 cm 2 . Conclusion: Skin bacterial counts and species among blood donors in DRC were similar to previously studied Caucasian populations, including cold‐tolerating species and bacteria previously described in transfusion reactions. Prevention of contamination (e.g., antisepsis) needs further evaluation and customization to sSA.