Cadaveric allograft microbiology

This study aims to determine the contamination rate of cadaveric bone allograft and blood cultures retrieved from 119 donors within Leicester between 1990 and 2003. A contamination rate of 27% was present, with 120 of 437 bone allografts culturing positive at the time of retrieval. Similarly, a contamination rate of 37% was present, with 40 of 107 blood samples culturing positive. The time interval between death and procurement did not influence blood contamination. Coagulase-negative Staphylococcus was the commonest organism isolated in both blood and bone cultures. One donor had Clostridium grown in their blood culture. The available evidence confirms similar contamination rates with other studies. The majority of organisms isolated were skin commensals with a low rate of contamination of highly pathogenic organisms such as Clostridium.