My father-in-law is planning to have a spinal fusion. He’s osteoporotic so he can’t donate his own bone needed for the graft. He is going to accept bone from a donor bank. Is there a risk of getting AIDs this way?

About one-third of the bone grafts used in the United States come from donors. This type of graft is called an allograft. Screening for disease is a very important part of the process before the graft material is released for use by patients.

There is a risk of bacterial or viral infection from bone graft but the number of cases reported are very small. Most allografts are frozen and stored at temperatures below minus 60-degrees Celsius (minus 76-degrees Fahrenheit). Fresh (unfrozen and unprocessed) allografts are muchmore likely to transmit infection.

The freezing process destroys bone growing cells and leaves behind cells that help other bone cells grow. During the process the allograft is also sterilized. These steps reduce but do not eliminate all risk of infection. For this reason, the FDA requires specific testing for HIV and hepatitis.