Factors Associated With Increased Risk of Contamination in Bone Marrow Transplants.

Area of Science:

• Hematology
• Transplantation Science
• Microbiology

Background:

• Hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) is a crucial treatment for hematologic disorders.
• Bone marrow is a common donor source for HCT.
• Microbial contamination of bone marrow harvests poses risks to immunocompromised recipients.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify clinical factors associated with microbial contamination in bone marrow harvests.
• To analyze contamination rates over time and by harvest characteristics.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 667 bone marrow harvests from 1999-2021 at a single institution.
• Evaluation of harvest type, donor demographics (age, sex), and collection parameters (TNC count, volume, concentration).
• Univariate and multivariate logistic regression to assess factors associated with contamination.

Main Results:

• Overall contamination rate was 13.0% (87/667 harvests), primarily common skin flora.
• No significant trend in yearly contamination rates was observed.
• Male donor sex was significantly associated with higher contamination rates (18% vs. 6.8%, P < .001), identified as the sole risk factor in multivariate analysis (OR: 2.90).

Conclusions:

• Male donor sex is a significant risk factor for microbial contamination in bone marrow harvests.
• This finding is novel and warrants further investigation into underlying mechanisms (e.g., skin flora, hygiene).
• Understanding these factors may help improve HCT safety and recipient outcomes.