[The production of swine intended for xenotransplants]

Allotransplantation of organs is one of the most prominent medical achievements of this century. The success of allotransplantation has, however, provoked a problem or organ shortage. In order to overcome these problems, the possibility of using animals as potential donors for humans (xenotransplantation) is considered. Many investigators recently proposed the pig as an alternative source of organs. Pigs are easy to breed, have anatomical and physiological characteristics compatible with humans, and are well studied for several pathogens potentially transmissible to humans. Moreover transgenic pigs can be obtained expressing human proteins in order to resist hyperacute rejection. Caesarean-derived piglets can easily be maintained gnotobiotics or specified-pathogen free. The pig being nowadays the best candidate for xenotransplantation, this paper will focus on the potential public health risk linked to the use of this species as a source of organs, and the general rules to follow in order to manage it, (risk management).