Viability of Microorganisms in Fluorouracil and Small-volume Injections

Abstract

The ability of various microorganisms to survive in cisplatin injection or fluorouracil injection in small-volume containers was assessed. Inoculum suspensions of Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Pseudomonas cepacia, Candida albicans, or Aspergillus niger were injected into polyvinyl chloride minibags containing 20 mL of either fluorouracil injection 50 mg/mL or cisplatin injection 1 mg/mL in 0.9% sodium chloride injection. All minibags were stored at 25 degrees C for 28 days. Three minibags containing only the sodium chloride solution and 18 minibags containing the sodium chloride solution inoculated with microorganisms served as negative and positive controls, respectively. Samples (1 mL) were obtained within 30 minutes of inoculation and again on days 1, 2, 4, 7, 14, 21, and 28. All microbial species lost viability in both the cisplatin and the fluorouracil admixtures over the study period. In most instances, this loss was more pronounced than that in the positive control solution. Whether the pH of the solutions contributed to this loss of viability was not determined. Under the conditions of this study, admixtures containing cisplatin and fluorouracil did not support rapid growth of microorganisms when stored at room temperature for up to 28 days.