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Formalinized bacterial "antigens" as a potential infection hazard
Journal of Clinical Microbiology
|October 1, 1975
Summary
Formalin treatment of enteric bacteria does not immediately kill them. Even after 1 hour, cultures remain a potential infection hazard due to residual viable bacteria.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Bacteriology
- Infectious Disease
Background:
- Enteric bacteria are often treated with formalin to create antigens for immunological studies.
- Formalin fixation is presumed to render bacterial cultures non-viable.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the viability of enteric bacteria after formalin treatment.
- To assess the potential infection risk associated with formalinized bacterial cultures.
Main Methods:
- Twenty-seven cultures of Salmonella and other Enterobacteriaceae were treated with 0.6% formalin.
- Bacterial viability was assessed after 1 hour and up to 7 hours of formalinization.
Main Results:
- None of the 27 bacterial cultures were completely killed within 1 hour of formalin treatment.
- Bacterial cell counts were reduced from 10(9) viable cells/ml to less than 10(2) viable cells/ml within 7 hours.
Conclusions:
- Formalin treatment for 1 hour does not guarantee bacterial inactivation.
- Mouth pipetting of bacterial cultures formalinized for only 1 hour poses a potential infection hazard.