title: Optimal method for culturing vascular prosthetic grafts.
abstract: Vascular prosthetic infection may be underrecognized when identified by standard culture techniques. Improved microbiologic methodology may enhance detection of bacteria in prosthetic graft specimens, and thus may alter clinical decisions. Quantitative culture techniques were employed to compare three methods of enhancing bacterial recovery from Dacron graft cylinders seeded with commonly encountered bacterial pathogens. Methods included: (1) ultrasonic bath treatment, (2) direct ultrasonic disruption, and (3) agitation on a Vortex mixer. Ultrasonic bath treatment released bacteria with colony counts that were consistently greater by 1 log than direct ultrasonic disruption and Vortex agitation. Direct ultrasonic disruption at high energy levels selectively killed gram-negative bacteria by as much as a 4 log decrease in viable organisms. Agitation (Vortex mixing) of the specimen produced the lowest counts among the three methods tested. These data would indicate that a 5-min ultrasonic bath treatment was the optimal method of preparation of vascular prostheses for bacterial culture.
authors.affiliation: Surgical Service, Veterans Administration Medical Center, East Orange, New Jersey 07019.
authors.forename: F T
authors.initials: FT
authors.lastname: Padberg
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: R H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Eng
mesh_terms: D001419:Bacteria / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D001422:Bacterial Adhesion; D001807:Blood Vessel Prosthesis / Q000009:adverse effects; D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D013293:Enterococcus faecalis / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000502:physiology; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000502:physiology; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D007711:Klebsiella pneumoniae / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000502:physiology; D011093:Polyethylene Terephthalates; D016459:Prosthesis-Related Infections / Q000382:microbiology*; D011550:Pseudomonas aeruginosa / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000502:physiology; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000502:physiology; D014465:Ultrasonics
chemical_list: D011093:Polyethylene Terephthalates