Contamination Rates by Delivery Method of Human Umbilical Cord Blood Samples in the United Arab Emirates and Gulf Cooperation Council Countries

The use of umbilical cord blood, which is recognized as a rich source of hematopoietic stem cells, has become an alternative source to bone marrow for transplantation. Cord blood units used for transplant might be rejected due to positive bacterial microbiology. According to common cell therapy standards, a microbiology bacterial identification is required to know the type of bacterial and to determine if the bacteria are considered critical or non-critical prior to the transplant determination. This study aims to find the frequency and distribution of bacterial organisms among cord blood samples collected in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Gulf Cooperation Countries (GCC) and to investigate if there is a correlation with contamination rates between the delivery method, cesarean section or vaginal delivery. We employed a survey for healthcare professionals to augment the data and then employed statistical analysis to find the frequency of contamination and create best practices to avoid a high level of contamination.