FATAL REACTION TO TRANSFUSION OF RED-CELL CONCENTRATE CONTAMINATED WITH SERRATIA-LIQUEFACIENS

A 60-year-old woman undergoing surgery died from endotoxic shock and D IC after receiving a 19-day-old unit of optimal additive red-cell conc entrate found contaminated with Serratia liquefaciens. No source of co ntamination could be found. This normally free-living organism is usua lly of low pathogenicity. It is a very unusual contaminant of stored d onated blood, although it appears to be on the increase. When transfus ed, blood contaminated with S. liquefaciens always causes severe morbi dity and is associated with a high death rate. This is the fifth repor t in the English literature.