HUMAN-IMMUNODEFICIENCY-VIRUS ACTIVITY IN RIB ALLOGRAFTS

Purpose: The use of bone allografts involves the risk of transmitting infectious agents from the donor to the recipient as shown by historic al surveys. A study was therefore undertaken to test the hypothesis th at human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) activity can still be present af ter the freezing and thawing of ribs taken from an acquired immune def iciency syndrome (AIDS) patient at autopsy. Materials and Methods: Rib samples were harvested under sterile conditions and frozen at -80 deg rees C. After different freezing periods, the samples were cultured wi th activated lymphocytes, P24 antigen determination in die supernatant fluid was used to test for viral activity. Results: Confirmation of v iral activity was obtained after freezing periods ranging from 1 to 12 weeks. Conclusions: HIV activity can be found in ribs of AIDS patient s, and this outlives the cryoprotection of bone banking. Donor selecti on remains the main security in the use of frozen bone allografts.