Bacterial Growth in Unsealed Bone-grafting Products

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Microbiology
• Surgical Innovation

Background:

• Bone substitutes (BS) are crucial in regenerative medicine.
• The reusability of opened BS packages under clinical conditions remains a concern regarding microbial contamination.
• Understanding bacterial proliferation in resealed BS is vital for patient safety.

Purpose of the Study:

• To simulate the reuse of opened bone substitute (BS) packages.
• To analyze bacterial growth in resealed alloplast and xenograft BS under simulated clinical conditions.
• To evaluate bacterial proliferation over time in dry and humid environments.

Main Methods:

• Two stages were employed: a dry stage (15 min air exposure) and a wet stage (aging in broth).
• Bone substitute samples were resealed and incubated for up to one week (t0, t1, t7).
• Bacterial colonies were enumerated, and colony-forming units per mL were calculated.

Main Results:

• No bacterial growth was detected in either alloplast or xenograft BS samples under dry conditions up to one week.
• In wet conditions, bacterial growth was observed starting at 24 hours (t1) and significantly increased by one week (t7) for both BS types.
• Xenograft BS showed more rapid bacterial proliferation than alloplastic BS in the wet stage at both 24 hours and one week (P <0.005).

Conclusions:

• Resealed bone substitute packages pose no bacterial growth risk in dry conditions for up to seven days.
• Introduction to humid environments significantly increases bacterial proliferation risk in bone substitutes.
• Xenograft bone substitutes demonstrate a higher susceptibility to rapid bacterial growth in humid conditions compared to alloplastic substitutes.