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[Bacterial contamination in corneal preservation: pathogens and their origin]
Fortschritte Der Ophthalmologie : Zeitschrift Der Deutschen Ophthalmologischen Gesellschaft
|January 1, 1989
Summary
Post mortem microbiological cultures revealed bacterial contamination in 54% of conjunctival swabs from human corneoscleral tissue. Conjunctival flora did not cause organ culture contamination, indicating a sterile swab doesn
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Microbiology
- Transplantation Science
Context:
- Post mortem microbiological analysis of human corneoscleral tissue is crucial for eye banking.
- Assessing microbial contamination in donor eyes is vital for transplantation safety.
- Understanding the relationship between conjunctival flora and organ culture results is important.
Purpose:
- To compare microbiological culture results from conjunctival swabs and organ cultures of post mortem human corneoscleral tissue.
- To determine if conjunctival bacterial flora influences microbial growth in organ cultures.
- To evaluate the reliability of conjunctival swabs in predicting organ culture sterility.
Summary:
- Bacterial contamination was found in 54% of conjunctival swabs from investigated post mortem eyes.
- Donor age and post mortem interval (up to 60 hours) did not affect microbial growth rates.
- Conjunctival flora was not the source of microbial growth in organ cultures; no correlation was found between conjunctival and organ culture bacteria.
- A sterile conjunctival swab does not guarantee a sterile organ culture.
Impact:
- Highlights the limitations of using conjunctival swabs alone to assess the sterility of donor corneoscleral tissue.
- Suggests that organ cultures are necessary for a comprehensive assessment of microbial contamination in eye banking.
- Informs eye banking protocols regarding microbiological testing to ensure the safety of corneal transplants.