Bacterial Contamination of Platelets: A Review of the Policy Making Process

On March 1, 2004, the American Association of Blood Banks (AABB) initiated a new standard that required all blood banks to have methods in place that limit and detect bacterial contamination in platelet components. However, the road to achieve this standard was neither quick nor easy. Over the last 15 years, there have been numerous governmental meetings and workshops devoted to the topic of platelet bacterial contamination, however, none of these ever produce a resolution or mandate to reduce the risk. In contrast to the mandates for most viral or newly emerging agents, the push for policy on the issue of bacterial contamination of platelet products has come from within the blood banking community.Master of Public Healt