Microbiological screening of post-mortem bone donors - two case reports

This study assesses the value of blood cultures in combination with swab culturing techniques in association with bone banking procedures. The results of blood and swab cultures of two postmortem bone donors were compared with procured grafts, cultured in their entirety. In one donor, who died of drowning, three of the 12 entire graft cultures were positive with the same microorganism of high pathogenicity as the blood culture, whilst the swab culture of only one graft was positive. In the second donor, who died from myocardial infarction, four entire cultures were positive with the same organism of high pathogenicity as the blood culture, whilst the swab cultures of three grafts were positive. In both donors identical organisms were cultured from the myocardium of the pulmonary or aortic heart valve. The results confirm the limited sensitivity of swab culturing techniques. Especially micro-organisms inside a graft, disseminated through the bloodstream, can remain unnoticed. Blood cultures seem to provide additional information on micro-organisms that have spread haematogenously pre-mortem and may even provide information on the source from which they have spread.