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Streptococcus bovis septic shock due to contaminated transfused platelets.

Chang AH, Kirsch CM, Mobashery N, Johnson N, Levitt LJ

Department of Medicine, Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, San Jose, California 95128, USA.

Although most physicians and the public are primarily concerned about the risk of transmitting human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) or hepatitis virus during a platelet transfusion, bacterial contamination is actually the most common infectious complication. Unlike red blood cells, platelets are stored at room temperature (20-24 degrees C), which raises the risk of bacterial proliferation. The risk of bacterial sepsis is 2.5-fold higher for each unit of transfused platelets compared to each unit of red blood cells. We report an unusual case of Streptococcus bovis septic shock associated with a contaminated platelet transfusion.

Published 25 October 2004 in Am J Hematol, 77(3): 282-6.
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