Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Journal of Clinical Pathology logoLink to Journal of Clinical Pathology
. 1980 May;33(5):474–480. doi: 10.1136/jcp.33.5.474

Postmortem bacteriology of the lung by printculture of frozen tissue. A technique for in situ culture of microorganisms in whole frozen organs.

O G Zanen-Lim, H C Zanen
PMCID: PMC1146113  PMID: 6995493

Abstract

Lung lobes obtained at necropsy from 100 patients were frozen at -70 degrees C and sectioned as a whole in a sledge microtome as used on complete frozen animals. Prints of freshly cut surfaces were cultured on different solid media in 14 cm Petri dishes. The printcultures showed three patterns of bacterial growth: dense growth in 24%, patchy growth in 43%, and no significant growth in 33%. Forty-two of the 67 positive printcultures showed to or more bacterial species. Besides bacteria known to be pathogens of the lung, streptococci of the viridans group, enterococci, and streptococci of group B were grown, sometimes in pure cultures. The patterns of the printcultures were reproducible in successive sections, and the quantity of the bacterial species could be assessed. Contaminating bacteria on the surface of the lung lobe could be recognised, as these produced colonies restricted to the edges of the print. Because there was no smearing of infecting and contaminating bacteria, printculture offers a method of reference.

Full text

PDF
474

Images in this article

476Fig. 1
on p.476
476Fig. 2
on p.476
476Fig. 3
on p.476
476Fig. 4
on p.476
477Fig. 1
on p.477

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Atherton S. T., White D. J. Stomach as source of bacteria colonising respiratory tract during artificial ventilation. Lancet. 1978 Nov 4;2(8097):968–969. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(78)92530-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Bartlett J. G., Finegold S. M. Bacteriology of expectorated sputum with quantitative culture and wash technique compared to transtracheal aspirates. Am Rev Respir Dis. 1978 Jun;117(6):1019–1027. doi: 10.1164/arrd.1978.117.6.1019. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Dorff G. J., Rytel M. W., Farmer S. G., Scanlon G. Etiologies and characteristic features of pneumonias in a municipal hospital. Am J Med Sci. 1973 Nov;266(5):349–358. doi: 10.1097/00000441-197311000-00002. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Huxley E. J., Viroslav J., Gray W. R., Pierce A. K. Pharyngeal aspiration in normal adults and patients with depressed consciousness. Am J Med. 1978 Apr;64(4):564–568. doi: 10.1016/0002-9343(78)90574-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Johanson W. G., Pierce A. K., Sanford J. P. Changing pharyngeal bacterial flora of hospitalized patients. Emergence of gram-negative bacilli. N Engl J Med. 1969 Nov 20;281(21):1137–1140. doi: 10.1056/NEJM196911202812101. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Koneman E. W., Davis M. A. Postmortem bacteriology. 3. Clinical significance of microorganisms recovered at autopsy. Am J Clin Pathol. 1974 Jan;61(1):28–40. doi: 10.1093/ajcp/61.1.28. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Koneman E. W., Minckler T. M. Postmortem bacteriology. CRC Crit Rev Clin Lab Sci. 1970 Jan;1(1):5–23. doi: 10.3109/10408367009014716. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Koneman E. W., Minckler T. M., Shires D. B., De Jongh D. S. Postmortem bacteriology. II. Selection of cases for culture. Am J Clin Pathol. 1971 Jan;55(1):17–23. doi: 10.1093/ajcp/55.1.17. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Meers P. D., Hunt A. C. The localization of vehicle bacteria in tissue. J Clin Pathol. 1972 Nov;25(11):1000–1001. doi: 10.1136/jcp.25.11.1000. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Minckler T. M., Newell G. R., O'Toole W. F., Niwayama G., Levine P. H. Microbiology experience in collection of human tissue. Am J Clin Pathol. 1966 Jan;45(1):85–92. doi: 10.1093/ajcp/45.1.85. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Nehring J. R., Sheridan M. F., Funk W. F., Alderson G. L. Studies in postmortem bacteriology. I. Necropsy sterility in three patients as long as thirty-five days postmortem. Am J Clin Pathol. 1971 Jan;55(1):12–16. doi: 10.1093/ajcp/55.1.12. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Newhouse M., Sanchis J., Bienenstock J. Lung defense mechanisms (first of two parts). N Engl J Med. 1976 Oct 28;295(18):990–998. doi: 10.1056/NEJM197610282951805. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Newhouse M., Sanchis J., Bienenstock J. Lung defense mechanisms (second of two parts). N Engl J Med. 1976 Nov 4;295(19):1045–1052. doi: 10.1056/NEJM197611042951905. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. O'Toole W. F., Saxena H. M., Golden A., Ritts R. E. Studies of postmortem microbiology using sterile autopsy technique. Arch Pathol. 1965 Nov;80(5):540–547. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Valenti W. M., Trudell R. G., Bentley D. W. Factors predisposing to oropharyngeal colonization with gram-negative bacilli in the aged. N Engl J Med. 1978 May 18;298(20):1108–1111. doi: 10.1056/NEJM197805182982002. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Van Scoy R. E. Bacterial sputum cultures. A clinician's viewpoint. Mayo Clin Proc. 1977 Jan;52(1):39–41. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. de Jongh D. S., Loftis J. W., Green G. S., Shively J. A., Minckler T. M. Postmortem bacteriology: a practical method for routine use. Am J Clin Pathol. 1968 Mar;49(3):424–428. doi: 10.1093/ajcp/49.3.424. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Journal of Clinical Pathology are provided here courtesy of BMJ Publishing Group

RESOURCES