I am curious about the resistant microbes which may thrive in formalin preserved tissue samples. I would like to know if there any possibility to isolate the microbes from the formalin preserved tissues? Can some one guide me regarding this? Kindly share if there any reports on microbial diversity of formalin preserved tissues. Either be culturable nor metagenomic diversity.
Thanks in Advance...
An interesting question. I don't think any bacterial patogen can live in enough time and enough solution and enough dilution in a small tissue with a few cm diameter. However it is possible for big tissue samples which formalin couldn't be penetrated inside. It is somewhat different for prions and virus. Prions are not effected by formalin. Viruses can be live in a few days.
I dont think most of bacteria still a life in formalin preserved tissue samples.
Formalin fixation (in a proper dilution and for a proper duration) would induce fixation of tissue as well as bacteria if present. I guess it is difficult, if not impossible to isolate living bacteria from properly formalin fixed tissue. Instead, it is possible to identify bacteria through isolation of bacterial DNA from fixed tissue. Good luck.
No organism can stay live in Formalin for even short length of time. Fungi can be seen in formalinised tissue.but it does not sty alive. Even HIV can not survive in Formalin.
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