Cadaver dissection and biohazard risks under the specter of bioethics

Abstract

The use of fresh, unembalmed specimens is an essential source for anatomy laboratories in France, and raises the preliminary question of the biological risks associated with their handling. In the context of anatomical work, this exposure is major and the risk concerns all recipients of cadavers: anatomists and researchers, as well as students and laboratory technicians, all of whom are required to handle a freshly deceased person. In view of this, we wondered if the regulations governing the body donation for scientific purposes, recently included in the French bioethics laws, have sufficiently taken this risk into account, and what is really the extent of this risk when we explore the literature.

Data on the prevalence of infections on anatomical models is disparate, dating back to the last century. The persistence of pathogen viability after death, as described in the literature, does not allow us to reach a scientific consensus on the absence of postmortem contagiousness. The lack of obligation to test bodies prior to anatomical work, despite the risks of accidental injury inherent in handling sharp objects or splashing

human fluids, could lead to infected bodies being made available, without the knowledge of users. The need to incorporate “biological risk prevention” measures linked to anatomical work into the bioethics laws that have governed body donations since 2021 should also be raised, given that the few studies in this field show a wide disparity in the way these risks are understood and managed. Finally, promoting studies to provide solid scientific evidence on the risks of post-mortem transmission of infectious diseases on bodies kept in cold storage for scientific and educational purposes should be encouraged, to provide a clear and definitive answer to the question of post-mortem contagiousness