Prestorage Removal of Yersinia Enterocolitica from Leukocyte Reduction Filters 2
All red cell units were then stored at 4 degrees C for 42 days. One of the five filtered red cell units (20%) in each leukocyte reduction filters group supported growth of Y. enterocolitica. In contrast, 4 (100%) of 4 unfiltered inoculated red cell units had growth (p = 0.04). Overall, 2 (20%) of 10 units of WBC-reduced red cells supported the growth of Y. enterocolitica, as compared to 100 percent of unfiltered red cell units after inoculation (p = 0.015). Bacterial contamination was not detected in any of the three noninoculated units. It can be concluded that prestorage WBC filtration significantly reduces the potential for growth of Y. enterocolitica in red cells stored at 4 degrees C for 42 days.
