Effect of technetium Tc 99m pertechnetate on bacterial survival in solution

Survival of Staphylococcus epidermidis (10(2) organisms/ml) in solutions containing various levels of radioactivity was assessed. Six test preparations contained nonbacteriostatic 0.9% sodium chloride solution; four of these contained technetium Tc 99m pertechnetate (99mTcO-4) in various quantities (80, 250, 500, and 750 mCi). A fifth contained technetium that had decayed to an essentially nonradioactive form, and a sixth contained 0.9% sodium chloride solution only. Each of the six 20-ml solutions was inoculated with 2 ml of single-strength trypticase soy broth (TSB) containing 10(3) organisms/ml. At various times up to 12 hours after inoculation, 1-ml aliquots of each test solution were withdrawn and passed through 0.22-micron filters, thereby preventing further irradiation of the filtered organisms. The filters were incubated in single-strength TSB at 37 degrees C, and samples were examined for turbidity at 24, 48, and 72 hours. After 24 hours, 25 of the 36 sample tubes showed turbidity; after 48 hours, the turbid samples totaled 28. Bacteria in the two nonradioactive solutions remained viable throughout the 12-hour sampling period. Accumulated doses of radiation obtained in the 250-, 500-, and 750-mCi samples inhibited bacterial growth. To be a valid quality-control measure, sterility monitoring of prepared radiopharmaceutical dosage forms may need to be performed concurrently with their preparation.