Screening and Safety Precautions
Potential donors of allograft tissues are screened for possible infections in a variety of ways. First, detailed information regarding the potential donor’s medical history is reviewed for evidence of diseases that might be transmissible to a tissue recipient. In addition, someone who knew the donor completes a detailed questionnaire to review a number of potential risks for and any symptoms of infections that might have been present when the donor died. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has set forth a number of criteria that include risk factors, clinical evidence, and other findings that might be an indication of a transmissible disease in the donor. Presence of these factors or symptoms would make a donor ineligible to donate tissues. These factors are very similar to those examined for blood donors.
If there are no risk factors, symptoms, or other findings of infection in the donor, the next step is to test the donor for infectious diseases. Blood samples from all potential tissue donors are tested for HIV, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, and syphilis. If any of these tests are positive, the potential donor is ineligible to donate tissues.
