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Survival of Staphylococcus pseudintermedius in modified Romanowsky staining solutions
Angus Misan1, Wei Yee Chan1, Darren Trott1
1School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences, University of Adelaide, Roseworthy, South Australia, 5371, Australia.
Veterinary Dermatology
|May 5, 2017
Summary
Bacterial contamination of diagnostic stains by Staphylococcus pseudintermedius is possible, but viable bacteria do not persist long-term. However, dead bacteria can remain visible, potentially leading to misdiagnosis in patient-side cytology.
Area of Science:
- Veterinary Microbiology
- Diagnostic Cytology
- Clinical Pathology
Background:
- Diagnostic stains used for rapid patient-side identification of bacterial and fungal infections are susceptible to contamination.
- Common pathogens like Staphylococcus pseudintermedius can contaminate stains during slide immersion, posing a risk to diagnostic accuracy.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the potential for viable bacterial contamination of modified Romanowsky stains (Quick Dip®) by Staphylococcus pseudintermedius.
- To determine if organic debris (canine hair and skin) influences bacterial survival and contamination within these stains.
Main Methods:
- Inoculation of Staphylococcus pseudintermedius into clean and organically contaminated Quick Dip® stain solutions (fixative, eosin, methylene blue).
- Quantification of viable bacteria using colony-forming units (CFU/mL) at various time points.
- Microscopic examination to assess the visibility of bacteria over time.
Main Results:
- Staphylococcus pseudintermedius survived in clean and contaminated stains for at least one hour, but not after 24 hours.
- No bacterial survival was observed in the methanol fixative component.
- Dead Staphylococcus pseudintermedius remained microscopically visible for up to two weeks in organically contaminated stain solutions.
Conclusions:
- While Staphylococcus pseudintermedius viability in eosin and methylene blue stains is short-lived, the prolonged visibility of dead bacteria presents a theoretical risk.
- This prolonged visibility of non-viable organisms could lead to misdiagnosis in patient cytology samples.
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