JULY 17, 2019

Sepsis Tied to Contaminated Platelet Transfusion

By Ethan Covey

An outbreak of sepsis was the result of the transfusion of apheresis platelets contaminated with Acinetobacter calcoaceticus–baumannii complex (ACBC) and Staphylococcus saprophyticus bacteria, according to a CDC study.

The outbreak cluster, which occurred from May to October 2018, affected four patients from three states; one patient died and the other three recovered after treatment in the ICU (MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2019;68[23]:519-523).