{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,28]],"date-time":"2026-07-28T07:21:52Z","timestamp":1785223312551,"version":"3.55.0"},"reference-count":13,"publisher":"Wiley","issue":"5","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,2,10]],"date-time":"2025-02-10T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1739145600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Vox Sanguinis"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2025,5]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title><jats:sec><jats:title>Background and Objectives<\/jats:title><jats:p>Transfusion\u2010associated bacterial sepsis poses a significant risk to patient safety. This study aimed to determine the rate of bacterial contamination of whole blood (WB) collected at the Cape Coast Teaching Hospital (CCTH) as a quality control and quality assurance activity.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Materials and Methods<\/jats:title><jats:p>One\u2010hundred and three WB units collected between January and April of 2018 were screened for bacterial contamination. Bacteria isolated from positive cultures were identified and subjected to antimicrobial testing. WB recipients were followed up for clinical symptoms.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Results<\/jats:title><jats:p>Of the 103 WB units tested, 33 (32%) were contaminated with bacteria. Gram\u2010positive organisms accounted for 67% of the isolates, including coagulase\u2010negative <jats:italic>Staphylococcus<\/jats:italic>, <jats:italic>Staphylococcus aureus<\/jats:italic> and <jats:italic>Bacillus<\/jats:italic> spp., while Gram\u2010negative bacteria comprised 33% of the isolates, with <jats:italic>Citrobacter freundii<\/jats:italic>, <jats:italic>Serratia marcescens<\/jats:italic>, <jats:italic>Escherichia coli<\/jats:italic> and <jats:italic>Providencia stuartii<\/jats:italic> being identified. Resistance to antibiotics varied between species. No septic transfusion events were reported involving WB units tested in this study.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title><jats:p>The high percentage of contaminated WB units collected at the CCTH provided evidence\u2010based data for the implementation of improved donor skin disinfection processes and the use of blood diversion pouches in 2019. These approaches allowed CCTH to comply with Ghanaian regulatory entities.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1111\/vox.13806","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,2,11]],"date-time":"2025-02-11T09:44:31Z","timestamp":1739267071000},"page":"503-508","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Preliminary determination of bacterial contamination of whole blood units in a Ghanaian blood bank: Providing evidence to improve transfusion safety"],"prefix":"10.1111","volume":"120","author":[{"given":"Nana Benyin","family":"Aidoo","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Diagnostic SUB\u2010BMC, Cape Coast Teaching Hospital  Cape Coast Ghana"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0705-4987","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Sandra","family":"Ramirez\u2010Arcos","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Medical &amp; Innovation Affairs, Canadian Blood Services  Ottawa Canada"},{"name":"Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology University of Ottawa  Ottawa Canada"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Laurie","family":"Gillard","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medical Laboratory Science Rush University  Chicago Illinois USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Daniel Edem","family":"Azumah","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratory Department Cape Coast Teaching Hospital  Cape Coast Ghana"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Angela","family":"Adatsi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Physician Assistantship Central University  Accra Ghana"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"311","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,2,10]]},"reference":[{"key":"e_1_2_9_2_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3390\/microorganisms12020258"},{"key":"e_1_2_9_3_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0120826"},{"key":"e_1_2_9_4_1","first-page":"376","article-title":"Periodontitis increases risk of viable bacteria in freshly drawn blood donations","volume":"19","author":"Damgaard CS","year":"2021","journal-title":"Blood Transfus"},{"key":"e_1_2_9_5_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/vox.13246"},{"key":"e_1_2_9_6_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1159\/000536242"},{"key":"e_1_2_9_7_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/vox.13057"},{"key":"e_1_2_9_8_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/trf.16262"},{"key":"e_1_2_9_9_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.9734\/IBRR\/2018\/42233"},{"key":"e_1_2_9_10_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/trf.16704"},{"key":"e_1_2_9_11_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1002\/9781119719809.ch46"},{"key":"e_1_2_9_12_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/vox.13189"},{"key":"e_1_2_9_13_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/vox.12027"},{"key":"e_1_2_9_14_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3201\/eid2910.230869"}],"container-title":["Vox Sanguinis"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/pdf\/10.1111\/vox.13806","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,5,27]],"date-time":"2025-05-27T23:40:07Z","timestamp":1748389207000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/10.1111\/vox.13806"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2025,2,10]]},"references-count":13,"journal-issue":{"issue":"5","published-print":{"date-parts":[[2025,5]]}},"alternative-id":["10.1111\/vox.13806"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1111\/vox.13806","archive":["Portico"],"relation":{},"ISSN":["0042-9007","1423-0410"],"issn-type":[{"value":"0042-9007","type":"print"},{"value":"1423-0410","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2025,2,10]]}}}