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<span id="openzim-page-title" class="mw-page-title-main"><span class="mw-page-title-main">Bioburden</span></span>
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<p><b>Bioburden</b> is normally defined as the number of bacteria living on a surface that has not been sterilized.<sup id="cite_ref-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup>
</p><p>The term is most often used in the context of bioburden testing, also known as microbial limit testing, which is performed on <a href="Medication" title="Medication">pharmaceutical products</a> and medical products for <a href="Quality_control" title="Quality control">quality control</a> purposes. Products or components used in the pharmaceutical or medical field require control of <a href="Microbe" class="mw-redirect" title="Microbe">microbial</a> levels during processing and handling. Bioburden or microbial limit testing on these products proves that these requirements have been met. Bioburden testing for medical devices made or used in the USA is governed by <a href="Title_21_of_the_Code_of_Federal_Regulations" title="Title 21 of the Code of Federal Regulations">Title 21 of the Code of Federal Regulations</a> and worldwide by <a href="International_Organization_for_Standardization" title="International Organization for Standardization">ISO</a> 11737.
</p><p>The aim of bioburden testing is to measure the total number of viable micro-organisms (total microbial count) on a medical device prior to its final sterilization before implantation or use.<sup id="cite_ref-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-2"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>2<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup>
</p><p>21 C.F.R. 211.110 (a)(6) states that bioburden in-process testing must be conducted pursuant to written procedures during the manufacturing process of drug products.<sup id="cite_ref-3" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-3"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>3<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The United States Pharmacopeia (USP) outlines several tests that can be done to quantitatively determine the bioburden of non-sterile drug products.<sup id="cite_ref-test_4-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-test-4"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>4<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup>
</p><p>It is important when conducting these tests to ensure that the testing method does not either introduce bacteria into the test sample or kill bacteria in the test sample.<sup id="cite_ref-test_4-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-test-4"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>4<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> To prepare drug products for testing, they must be dissolved in certain substances based on their "physical characteristics."<sup id="cite_ref-test_4-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-test-4"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>4<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> For example, a water-soluble drug product should be dissolved in "Buffered Sodium Chloride-Peptone Solution pH 7.0, Phosphate Buffer Solution pH 7.2, or Soybean-Casein Digest Broth."<sup id="cite_ref-test_4-3" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-test-4"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>4<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup>
</p><p>The Membrane-Filtration Method and Plate Count Method can be used to measure the number of microbes in a sample.<sup id="cite_ref-test_4-4" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-test-4"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>4<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> In the <b>Membrane-Filtration Method</b>, the sample is passed through a membrane filter with a pore size of 0.45 micrometers or less.<sup id="cite_ref-test_4-5" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-test-4"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>4<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The membrane filter is then placed onto Soybean-Casein Digest Agar and incubated in order to be able to determine the total aerobic microbial count (TAMC).<sup id="cite_ref-test_4-6" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-test-4"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>4<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup>
</p><p>In the <b>Plate Count Method</b>, the sample of drug product to be tested and Soybean-Casein Digest Broth is poured into a Petri dish.<sup id="cite_ref-test_4-7" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-test-4"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>4<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The Petri dish is then incubated. The <a href="Most_probable_number" title="Most probable number">most probable number</a> method (MPN) can also be performed for products considered to have a low bioburden. The MPN is considered to be one of the least accurate tests.<sup id="cite_ref-test_4-8" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-test-4"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>4<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup>
</p><p>The bioburden quantification is expressed in <a href="Colony_forming_unit" class="mw-redirect" title="Colony forming unit">colony forming unit</a> (CFU). There are generally established guidelines for the maximum CFU that a drug product can contain.<sup id="cite_ref-test_4-9" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-test-4"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>4<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Contact plates or sterile swabs can also be used to test for microbes on a surface when compounding sterile products to ensure compliance with <a href="USP_Controlled_Room_Temperature" title="USP Controlled Room Temperature">USP 797</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-5" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-5"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>5<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup>
</p><p>As an alternative to traditional methods (membrane-filtration and plate count method) there are rapid microbiological methods (RMM) that correlate to plate counting and give results in less time (minutes or hours instead of days). Soleil by Sievers is an example of a RMM that gives results in 45 minutes and detects biotics/ml thanks to flow cytometry.
</p><p>Bioburden is also associated with <a href="Biofouling" title="Biofouling">biofouling</a>, where microbes collect on the surface of a device or inside of fan cooled equipment. In healthcare settings, this increases the risk of <a href="Healthcare-associated_infections" class="mw-redirect" title="Healthcare-associated infections">Healthcare-associated infections</a> (HAIs) or <a href="Hospital-acquired_infection" title="Hospital-acquired infection">Hospital-acquired infection</a> as pathogens can be spread through contact or through the air to new patients and hospital staff. Fan cooled system are generally avoided in critical care and operating rooms, thus relying on natural convection or liquid cooling to cool devices and equipment. Clean rooms (surgical operating rooms, for example) are also required to maintain positive air pressure so that air may leave those rooms, but contaminated air cannot enter from adjacent spaces.<sup id="cite_ref-6" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-6"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>6<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> <a href="HEPA" title="HEPA">HEPA</a> filters are also used to collect airborne pathogens larger than 0.3 microns.
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<div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="References">References</h2></div>
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<p><a rel="nofollow" class="external free" href="https://www.watertechnologies.com/products/analyzers-instruments/sievers-soleil">https://www.watertechnologies.com/products/analyzers-instruments/sievers-soleil</a>
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