Microbial Contamination of Culture Media

The IVF culture system provides a safe and stable environment for the survival and development of gametes and embryos in vitro. However, this stable, ideal environment is also hospitable to various microorganisms. The incidence of microbial contamination in IVF cycles has been reported in the literature to be approximately 0.1% to 1% [1]. Microbial contamination threatens the survival of gametes and embryos, causing degeneration, developmental arrest, and cross-infection in the culture system. The pathogens can even be transmitted to patients through embryo transfer. There have been previous incidents of patients being infected with hepatitis B virus (HBV) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) derived from IVF treatment [2, 3]. Although contamination of an IVF culture system can be detected in most cases, it is worth noting that insidious contamination may have even more severe consequences. Therefore, effective infection prevention is the foundation for ensuring the safe and stable operation of IVF laboratories. The asepsis principle should be strictly enforced in IVF laboratories to control infectious factors and inhibit the growth of pathogenic microorganisms.