Kidney decontamination during perfusion for transplantation procedure: In vitro and ex vivo viability analysis

Organ transplantations have an increasing medical relevance. It is becoming a regular procedure with an increase in individuals waiting for organs. The increase in the number of discarded organs is mostly due to the donor bacterial and/or viral infection. In this article, we are demonstrating the feasibility of reduction of the bacterial load in kidney model by using ultraviolet-C as a germicidal agent in circulating liquids. Using Staphylococcus aureus as a bacteria model, we were able to demonstrate that in less than 30 min of liquid circulation and associated to irradiation, the bacterial load of the perfusate Custodiol HTK, histidine-tryptophan-ketoglutarate (solution with 5 log CFU mL(-1)), was fully eliminated. A modeling approach was created to verify the possibility of bacterial load decrease, when an organ (here, a renal experimental model) is present in the circuit, releasing a varied rate of microorganisms over time, while the solution is irradiated. Finally, we use an ex vivo model with swine kidney, circulating in the preservation solution with a Lifeport Kidney Transporter machine, to demonstrate that we can contaminate the organ and then promote the elimination of the microbiological load. The results show the feasibility of the technique.

Automated summary

This article demonstrates the feasibility of reducing bacterial load in a kidney model by using ultraviolet-C as a germicidal agent. The results show that the bacterial load in the perfusate can be fully eliminated in less than 30 minutes of liquid circulation and irradiation. A modeling approach is used to verify the decrease in bacterial load when an organ is present in the circuit.