The Rate of Anti-HIV Seropositivity among Donated Cadavers: Experience in a Cadaver Donation Center

Abstract

Cadavers are crucial for the medical education provided by medical schools. However, currently, donation is the only way to obtain cadavers for education in Thailand. Moreover, some traditional beliefs result in insufficient numbers of cadavers. Apart from finding donors, the occupational health of the workers in the cadaver donation center and the users, the medical students, residents, and staffs should be addressed. Screening for anti-HIV in donated organs is the current trend in transplantation medicine. Therefore, screening for anti-HIV in donated cadavers is useful. Here, we report the rate of anti-HIV seropositivity in cadavers in a 1-year period in our setting, the largest Thai Red Cross Society hospital. Of the total 84 cadavers received, two cadavers (2.4%) were anti-HIV seropositive. With the increasing rate of anti-HIV, screening for anti-HIV serology in donated cadavers for medical teaching is of great benefit.