Microfiltration of brilliant blue G dye.

BACKGROUND

Brilliant blue G (BBG) is a safe and effective dye used to highlight the internal limiting membrane during macular surgery. The authors proposed that the utilization of a 0.22-μm filter intraoperatively can reduce the risk of inoculating an eye with contaminated BBG.

METHODS

An in vitro model of contaminated BBG was prepared. Laboratory stock cultures of 7 organisms including, Staphyloccocus epidermidis, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Staphyloccocus aureus, Haemophilus influenza, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Fusarium species, and Candida albicans, were prepared in five 10-fold dilutions and injected into BBG vials. These mixtures were drawn with either a 5-μm filter, 0.22-μm, or without a filter and cultured on appropriate plates and growth conditions.

RESULTS

No culture plates that had inoculate drawn through a 0.22-μm filter showed evidence of growth. There was evidence of growth for all organisms when no filter was used. A 5 μm was insufficient to filter Fusarium species.

CONCLUSION

Using a 0.22-μm filter in the intraoperative processing of BBG would likely reduce the risk of infectious endophthalmitis resulting from contaminated dye.