Spectrophotometric Analysis of the Mold Apsergillus flavus in Embalming Fluids Using an XTT Assay Kit.

Indianapolis, IN

The presence of mold in cadavers remains an issue in many laboratory settings worldwide. By measuring the efficiency of water diluted embalming fluids, the results can be attributed to cadaver preparation and preservation techniques using water. Aspergillus flavus mold from the Bellarmine University cadaver lab was cultured on Potato Dextrose Agar (PDA) plates for use in our experiment. Using a flat bottom 96-well plate we created mold inoculums with seven different concentrations of embalming fluids. Being limited to only viability observations using the microtiter and PDA plates, we proceeded to include a method of quantitative analysis. An XTT assay kit was used to indicate the presence of metabolic activity using the mold's dehydrogenase enzymes, producing a formazan dye. The XTT prepared microtiter plate was allowed to sit for 24 hours and then scanned at 450nm. Our results indicate that mold viability progressively increases with successively greater dilutions of embalming fluids. Therefore, the growth of mold on cadaver may be reflective of the amount of water applied to embalmed tissues. The volume of water repeatedly applied to tissues throughout a semester may be a critical contributor to the establishment of mold growth by simple dilution of the preservative ingredients of embalming fluids.