BONE-GRAFT CONTAMINATION FROM A WATER DE-IONIZER DURING PROCESSING INA BONE BANK

An organism resembling Burkholderia (formerly Pseudomonas) cepacia was isolated from cultures taken during processing of six bone grafts. Th e source of the contamination was traced to a water de-ionizer; the pr oblem had begun when procedures had been changed, so that water from t he de-ionizer had been used without sterilization. Cultures of bone fo r grafting not only protect recipients from infection, but act also as useful controls for processes involved in bone banking.