| [ Summary ] |
Water quality evaluations for dialysate, endotoxins are widely conducted in Japan. Measurement errors are rather rare, in this country. It is possible to evaluate and analyze dialysate quality in many dialysis centers. The bacterial count method is generally used in the EU and the USA. However, this method is not popular in Japan. Therefore, dialysate quality comparisons concerning bacterial count, are difficult between the above countries and Japan. The bacterial count method presents many problems. It is quite difficult to achieve stable, repeatable measurement results in many dialysis centers. Different types of agar are sensitive to different types of bacteria. Therefore, there are no better methods to detect bacteria in the dialysate. Also, there is no correlation between endotoxin concentrations and bacterial counts. Reliable and easy methods for producing bacterial counts are urgently required. |