Fastidious Mycobacteria Grown from Porcine Prosthetic-Heart-Valve Cultures

WE report here the contamination of eight of 16 porcine xenograft heart valves placed in 15 patients over a three-month period. The micro-organisms cultured from the xenografts were identified as Mycobacterium chelonei.Materials and MethodsPorcine aortic valves were purchased from Hancock Laboratories, Anaheim, California. At operation, each valve was removed aseptically from its shipping jar, containing 0.2 per cent stabilized glutaraldehyde-soaked cotton wads, after rinsing in sterile 0.9 per cent saline (Travenol). A coupon of aortic-wall tissue was removed and transported to the laboratory. The specimen was cultured in thioglycollate medium (BBL) at 37°C for two weeks. Gram . . .