I'm not clear on this either UNLESS they are harvesting  some tissues or
organs for sterile culture purposes and need sterile conditions??? OR some
animals have infectious diseases, a precaution?  

This is commonly done here, for histo on some tissues, organ or lymph node,
etc harvesting for cells. They use alcohol flame technic, and also had some
"hot" experiences due to spillage of alcohol. There are microincinerators
used in microbiology labs, devices where inoculation loops are inserted.
How good this would be for larger dissecting scissors/instruments if would
they fit, plus they need to be cleaned before heating or you bake on all
the blood/tissue remnants.  


  At 01:22 PM 7/30/02 -0400, you wrote:
>    Perhaps I am missing something here, but why sterilize instruments
used on
>dead animals? Just wipe off the blood/tissue with a mild soap solution.
>
>Geoff
>
>Kathleen Cormier wrote:
>
>> Hello all!
>>
>> What is the preferred method of sterilizing instruments during necropsy of
>> multiple animals? We may do upwards of 20 animals during a session. What we
>> do is in between animals or samples is to dip the instruments in 70% ETOH
>> then "flame" them, allow to cool off for 20 seconds them proceed with
>> dissection. After one too many beaker fires we are being asked to change
>> our procedure. One suggestion is heated bead sterilization in between
>> samples/ animals another is to order 30 additional sets of instruments and
>> autoclave the sets prior to use. Any suggestions?
>>
>> Thanks!!!
>>
>> Kathy Cormier
>> Histology Supervisor
>> Div Comparative Med
>> MIT
>
>--
>**********************************************
>Geoff McAuliffe, Ph.D.
>Neuroscience and Cell Biology
>Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
>675 Hoes Lane, Piscataway, NJ 08854
>voice: (732)-235-4583; fax: -4029
>mcauliff@umdnj.edu
>**********************************************
>
>
>
>
>
Gayle Callis
MT,HT,HTL(ASCP)
Research Histopathology Supervisor
Veterinary Molecular Biology - Marsh Lab
Montana State University - Bozeman
19th and Lincoln St
Bozeman MT 59717-3610

406 994-6367 (lab with voice mail)
406 994-4303 (FAX)

email: gcallis@montana.edu