Four hospital patients developed sepsis after receiving platelet transfusions contaminated with bacteria last year, according to the CDC's most recent Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
The infections occurred between May and October 2018 in two male patients in Connecticut with acute myeloid leukemia; a male patient in Utah with cirrhosis; and a male patient in California with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. The Utah patient died of septic shock two days after the transfusion, while the other three recovered.
The CDC discovered the platelets contained two types of bacteria: Acinetobacter calcoaceticus-baumannii complex and Staphylococcus saprophyticus. The agency is still investigating the source of the contamination. Preliminary analysis showed the patients' bacteria strains were closely related, which suggests they may be from a common source.
To view the CDC's full report, click here.