Presence of Gram-negative bacteria and Staphylococcus aureus on the skin of blood donors in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Skin bacteria may contaminate blood products but few data are available on sub-Saharan Africa (sSA). We assessed the presence of Gram-negative bacteria and Staphylococcus aureus on blood donor skin and evaluated skin antisepsis in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

Main findings: 43.8% of 160 blood donors had Gram-negative bacteria growing on the arm’s skin, mostly non-fermentative Gram-negative rods and including (cold-tolerating) species previously described in transfusion reactions 3.8% of 159 blood donors had Staphylococcus aureus (2 of 6 isolates methicillin-resistant).

In only two cases (1.9%, 2/108) the ethanol 70% antisepsis procedure met the acceptance criterion of ≤ 2 colony forming units/25 cm² skin

Biosafety

Blood collection

Disinfection & Antisepsis

Sampling