Bacterial Flora of the Human Conjunctiva after Death.

THE bacterial flora of the human conjunctiva both during life and after death has been the subject of several studies in the past. With the increasing incidence of keratoplasty and vitreous implants the study of the behaviour of the conjunctival flora after death in particular is becoming increasingly important. Some of the first recorded findings date from 1887, when Fick examined the bacterial flora of 49 normal conjunctival sacs during life and found that 79 6 per cent. gave positive cultures. More recently, Barfoed (1953) reported on 501 normal conjunctivae and observed positive cultures in 55 5 per cent. On the other hand, Boberg-Ans, Badsberg, and Rasmussen (1962) demonstrated the presence of positive cultures in 87'3 per cent. of a series of 63 eyes examined between 9 and 23 hours after death, and suggested that the higher incidence of positive cultures noted after death might be due to the particularly favourable conditions for bacterial growth which then prevail. The purpose of this investigation was to determine the interval between death and the cultures becoming positive, and to determine how long it was safe to leave donor eyes before enucleation. A comparison was therefore made between cultures taken 1 to 2 and 9 to 11 hours after death.