Cohort profile: evaluation of immune response and household transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in Costa Rica: the RESPIRA study.

Purpose: The RESPIRA cohort aims to describe the nature, magnitude, time course and efficacy of the immune response to SARS-CoV-2 infection and vaccination, population prevalence, and household transmission of COVID-19.

Participants: From November 2020, we selected age-stratified random samples of COVID-19 cases from Costa Rica confirmed by PCR. For each case, two population-based controls, matched on age, sex and census tract were recruited, supplemented with hospitalised cases and household contacts.

Bacterial contamination of whole-blood-derived platelets: the introduction of sample diversion and prestorage pooling with culture testing in the American Red Cross.

Background: Bacterial sepsis following whole blood-derived platelet (WBP) transfusion has remained a substantial patient risk, primarily due to a lack of practical and effective means to limit or detect bacterial contamination. We describe the risk of reported septic reactions to WBPs and the introduction of prestorage-pooled whole blood-derived platelets (PSPs) collected using initial sample diversion and cultured for bacterial contamination.

Study Design And Methods: Product qualification and quality control (QC) testing with the Acrodose PL system (Pall Medical) were evaluated in four regional blood centers.