@article {1674,
	title = {Bacterial contamination of human organ-cultured corneas},
	journal = {Cornea},
	volume = {24},
	year = {2005},
	note = {Zanetti, Elisa Bruni, Alessandro Mucignat, Giorgio Camposampiero, Davide Frigo, Anna Chiara Ponzin, Diego United States Cornea Cornea. 2005 Jul;24(5):603-7.},
	month = {Jul},
	pages = {603 - 7},
	edition = {38525},
	abstract = {PURPOSE: This study was designed to define the risk of contamination of human corneas preserved by the organ-culture method. METHODS: We examined the microbial contaminations in 3,100 corneoscleral rims cultivated in our eye bank. Microbiologic tests were performed in the preservation medium 5 days after the beginning of cornea cultures and in the last day of culture (21.5 +/- 8.1 days), when the corneas were transferred to the deswelling medium. In 1,029 corneas a microbiologic test also was performed 1 day after the beginning of deswelling procedure. RESULTS: We found 206 microbial contaminations (6.65\% of total) after 5 days and 17 (0.55\%) at the end of the preservation period. The total number of contaminated samples during the cornea culture was 223 corresponding to 7.2\% of the samples (95\% confidence interval, 6.3-8.1). The 1,029 tests performed during the deswelling step disclosed 26 contaminated cornea cultures despite apparent sterility of the medium (2.5\%; 95\% confidence interval, 1.5-3.5). CONCLUSIONS: The observation of microbial contaminations in a time close to the transplant (i.e., at the end of the preservation period and in the deswelling step) showed that a fast microbial tests during the deswelling procedure may prevent the grafting of a contaminated cornea. The appearance of bacteria in the deswelling medium despite a negative culture medium suggests that bacteria penetrate the corneal tissues during the culture to be subsequently extruded when the internal fluids move outward.},
	keywords = {*Tissue Donors, Bacteria / *isolation \& purification, Bacterial Physiological Phenomena, Cornea / *microbiology, Cryopreservation, Culture Media, Eye Banks, Humans, Organ Culture Techniques, Organ Preservation, Sclera / microbiology},
	issn = {0277-3740 (Print) 0277-3740 (Linking)},
	doi = {00003226-200507000-00016 [pii]},
	url = {internal-pdf://Zanetti - bacterial contamination-2073240320/Zanetti - bacterial contamination.pdf},
	author = {Zanetti,E. and Bruni,A. and Mucignat,G. and Camposampiero,D. and Frigo,A. C. and Ponzin,D.}
}
