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Journal of Clinical Microbiology, October 2003, p. 4755-4757, Vol. 41, No. 10
0095-1137/03/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/JCM.41.10.4755-4757.2003
Copyright © 2003, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Microwave Sterilization of Femoral Head Allograft

Robert A. Dunsmuir1* and Grace Gallacher2

Department of Orthopaedics,1 Department of Bacteriology, Southern General Hospital, Glasgow, United Kingdom2

Received 13 January 2003/ Returned for modification 24 March 2003/ Accepted 3 July 2003

The potential shortage of allograft bone has led to the need to investigate other sources of bone for allografts. Some allograft bone donated from primary total hip arthroplasty recipients must be discarded or treated to become useable as a result of bacterial contamination. Femoral head allografts were contaminated with Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis. A domestic microwave oven was used. The contaminated bone was exposed to microwave irradiation for different time periods. The samples were then cultured to attempt to grow the two bacterial species. The contaminated bone samples failed to grow any organisms after 2 min of exposure to microwave irradiation. This study shows that sterilization of femoral head allografts contaminated with S. aureus and B. subtilis can be achieved with microwave irradiation in a domestic microwave oven. This method of sterilization of bone allografts is cheap, easily used, and an effective way to process contaminated bone.

* Corresponding author. Present address: Department of Orthopaedics, St. James' University Hospital, Beckett St., Leeds LS9 7TF, United Kingdom. Phone: 0113 206 4732. Fax: 0113 206 5156. E-mail: Robert.dunsmuir{at}leedsth.nhs.uk.

Journal of Clinical Microbiology, October 2003, p. 4755-4757, Vol. 41, No. 10
0095-1137/03/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/JCM.41.10.4755-4757.2003
Copyright © 2003, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.





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