Institute for Medical Microbiology and Hospital Epidemiology, Hannover Medical School, 30625 Hannover, Germany.
Institute for Functional and Applied Anatomy, Hannover Medical School, 30625 Hannover, Germany.
Lett Appl Microbiol. 2023 Jan 23;76(1). doi: 10.1093/lambio/ovac027.
While body decompensation is mainly facilitated by bacteria, investigating the antimicrobial properties of body preservation methods is still a neglected research area. We performed microbiological sampling for potentially pathogenic bacteria species of brain, lung, liver, colon, and subcutis samples obtained from bodies perfused with embalming solutions of variable composition with emphasis on variable formaldehyde concentrations. We, thereby, identified spore-forming aerobic and anaerobic bacteria mainly in the samples obtained from the colon of ethanol- and lower-concentrated formaldehyde formulation embalmed bodies. Moreover, we could identify Enterococcus species in bodies preserved with the latter method. Tissue samples of the subcutis remained sterile. Long-term incubation of special mycobacteria growth indicator tubes revealed no growth of mycobacteria in all 60 samples analyzed. Overall, we show survival of bacterial genera known to be especially environmentally resistant but also include potentially pathogenic members. Knowledge of bactericidal capacities of embalming solutions are therefore critical to assess risk and apply appropriate disinfection routines while working with human bodies. Moreover, new formulations to reduce potentially toxic substances for embalming needs to be evaluated regarding their bactericidal capacities.
虽然身体代偿主要是由细菌促成的，但调查身体保存方法的抗菌特性仍然是一个被忽视的研究领域。我们对用不同成分的防腐液灌注后的大脑、肺、肝、结肠和皮下组织样本进行了潜在致病细菌种类的微生物取样，重点是不同的甲醛浓度。因此，我们在从用乙醇和低浓度甲醛配方灌注的防腐液保存的尸体的结肠样本中主要发现了形成孢子的需氧和厌氧细菌。此外，我们还可以在使用后一种方法保存的尸体中鉴定出肠球菌属。皮下组织的组织样本仍然无菌。特殊分枝杆菌生长指示剂管的长期孵育显示，在分析的所有 60 个样本中均未生长分枝杆菌。总的来说，我们发现了已知具有特别强环境抗性的细菌属的存活，但也包括潜在的致病成员。因此，了解防腐液的杀菌能力对于评估风险和在处理人体时应用适当的消毒程序至关重要。此外，需要评估新的防腐配方，以减少防腐所需的潜在有毒物质，同时评估它们的杀菌能力。
