Special laboratory equipment is not needed to produce bacteria-free platelet concentrates (commonly referred to as platelet-rich plasma), but stringent attention to proper aseptic technique is essential.

Equine veterinarians are using platelet concentrates more often for the management of musculoskeletal disease. They can be prepared using a variety of methods, and they are often injected into structures that are susceptible to bacterial contamination, such as synovial sheaths. Infection of these structures could have severe consequences for the patient.

Researchers from the Universidad de Caldas in Colombia assessed the risk of bacterial infection during platelet concentrate preparation utilizing the “tube method.”

Bacterial swabs were taken from 15 horses, with the operators collecting samples from the blood, the environment where the platelet concentrates were prepared, and the products