ex vivo testing of anti microbial activity three by three cm meshes were utilized for long term studies including animal survival and gross and microscopic evaluation bacterial inoculation was performed by applying a 1 cc suspension of staph aureus directly on the mesh the incision was closed using vicryl suture and reinforced with skin staples topical bitter orange arc laboratories atlanta ga was applied over the closure to dissuade animal induced wound disruption all animals received bupranorphine 0 03 mg kg immediately after surgery and every 12 hours thereafter for the next 48 hours mesh harvest was performed surgically in a sterile fashion general anesthesia was induced with isofluorane and the animals were euthanized by intracardiac pentobarbital injection after collecting blood samples for analysis the skin around the original incision was prepared in the same fashion as above and opened sharply and widely to allow full exposure of the implant the entire abdominal wall including the mesh was excised en bloc for analysis table ii depicts bacterial count from explanted meshes after 7 days in vivo four animals in each of two study arms were inculcated with 5 u00d7 10e5 cfus of staphylococcus aureus at the time of implant the bacteria were placed on the center of the abdominal patch prior to wound closure controls no lys were.