Detection of HIV in bone allografts prepared from AIDS autopsy tissue

Processed bone from an AIDS patient was tested for the presence of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1). The preliminary procedures used to process bone allografts included removal of adventitious material and two cycles of freeze thawing. Although infectious virus was readily observed in plasma and bone marrow cells taken at autopsy, no infectious virus was detected in processed bone fragments. However, by using the polymerase chain reaction procedure, the presence of proviral HIV DNA could be demonstrated in processed bone allografts from this donor. Whereas the best safeguard against transmission of HIV by allografts is rigorous criteria for the exclusion of seropositive individuals as donors, proper procedures for processing bone allografts can further reduce the possibility of HIV transmission by bone allografts in cases where tissue from an infected donor is collected and processed.