Bacterial contamination of bone marrow grafts intended for autologous and allogeneic bone marrow transplantation. Incidence and clinical significance.

In a series of 100 bone marrow harvests, the incidence of bacterial contamination of the bone marrow graft was 17 percent. Ex vivo manipulation of some of the grafts prior to infusion may have caused additional bacterial contamination. All isolated bacteria were common skin flora, and no serious sequelae were observed in the patients receiving the culture-positive bone marrow grafts. Samples of harvested bone marrows purposely contaminated with an isolate of Staphylococcus epidermidis demonstrated a bactericidal property that was maximal early after bone marrow collection. Bone marrow collection and ex vivo manipulation may result in considerable bacterial contamination. Procedures must be developed to assure that marrow collection and processing do not result in clinically significant contamination.