Antibiotics in the preservation of allograft and xenograft skin

The application of antibiotics in the preservation of allograft and xenograft skin is controversial. The penicillin-streptomycin combination that is commonly used in reports in the literature was ineffective in our practice. Our Tissue Bank has tested different antibiotic combinations and found a more effective and suitable combination. After aseptic retrieval of pig and cadaver split skin, the skin strips were incubated in Eagleʹs MEM containing different antibiotic combinations. From frozen and fresh allogeneic and xenegeneic skin, 1-cm2 pieces were incubated in bacterial growth media, then tested. The antibiotic effect on skin samples of the highest antibiotic concentrations was assessed by growth inhibition around the skin discs. We followed up the clinical results after skin transplantation. The best results were obtained using the following antibiotic combination: 1000 mg/l ceftazidime, 1000 mg/l ampicillin and 80 mg/l amphotericin. The skin retained its antimicrobial effect after freezing and thawing. In 1992, 5 m2 cadaver and 50 m2 pig split skin were supplied to the Hungarian burn centres to cover deep partial and full skin thickness burned patients. There has not been a graft-originated infection during this period.