Bacterial contamination of human organ-cultured corneas.

Purpose: This study was designed to define the risk of contamination of human corneas preserved by the organ-culture method.

Methods: We examined the microbial contaminations in 3,100 corneoscleral rims cultivated in our eye bank. Microbiologic tests were performed in the preservation medium 5 days after the beginning of cornea cultures and in the last day of culture (21.