A UK Survey of Virological Testing of Cadaver Tissue Donors

Objectives: To analyse information about virological testing of cadaveric tissue donors, including the kits used and the rates of test reactivity. Materials and Methods: Retrospective data were collected using a standardised questionnaire sent to 16 tissue banks in the UK. The rates of repeat reactive screen tests and confirmed positive results for the markers HBsAg, anti-HCV, anti-HIV were analysed in 1,833 cadaver tissue donors tested at 12 tissue banks over one year up to March 1998. Results: There was a wide range of kits in use for virological screen testing of cadaver donors. The rates of repeat reactivity in the screen tests varied from 0 to 42%. Conclusion: The findings have implications for policies based on discard of tissues from donors with repeat reactive results, and raise important safety issues with regards to cadaveric virological testing, as the test systems in use have not been validated for cadaver blood samples.