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Can you get AIDs from a bone graft? I'm going to have a spinal fusion. Since my own bone is too brittle, the surgeon is going to use some from a bone bank. I'm worried about getting some disease from someone I don't know.

Since 1993, there have been government regulations in place to safeguard donor tissue. Safety rules, on-site inspections of tissue banks, and reporting of adverse effects of allograft tissue are now in place. All donor tissue must be tested for hepatitis and HIV. In addition, hospitals and surgery centers are required to follow a standard method for handling all donor tissues. Potential donors are screened very carefully before being accepted. Only one case of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV, the cause of AIDS) from allograft bone in a spine fusion patient has ever been reported. Antibody testing has been available since 1985, so the risk of HIV transmission has been eliminated. Given the fact that there is only one known case of infection transmission among patients who received allograft (donor) bone during spinal surgery, the use of these tissues has been reported as safe. The fact that not all tissue banks are regulated and inspected does raise the concern for improper or even illegal means of obtaining, processing, and distributing donor tissue. Check with your surgeon about any concerns you may have. Surgeons are responsible for following all safety measures as these relate to allograft tissue. For example, they must know where the tissue came from (e.g., morgue, operating room, funeral home) and make sure the recovery facility is practicing all recommended steps in assuring safety of the donor tissue. This includes proper donor screening and valid methods of tissue sterilization. Both of these steps are important in reducing the risk of donor tissue contamination. They are advised to deal only with tissue banks that have been inspected by the Food and Drug Administration and/or are accredited by the American Association of Tissue Banks (not all are). And they must be prepared to report their concerns or any adverse events that occur.

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