Postmortem recovery of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 from plasma and mononuclear cells. Implications for occupational exposure.

Objective: To determine the ability to recover human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) from the plasma and mononuclear cell (MNC) fractions of postmortem blood samples from patients with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome.
Design: Blood was randomly cultured post mortem from 41 patients with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. Plasma and MNC cultures were performed as well as serum antigen assays. Evaluation parameters included MNC recovery, MNC viability, time of sample collection after death, time of inoculation of coculture following sample acquisition, and storage conditions of the body (ie, refrigeration vs nonrefrigeration).
Setting: Blood samples were obtained from patients with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome being prepared for burial at metropolitan area funeral homes.
Patients: Postmortem samples were obtained from 41 patients with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome.
Main Outcome Measure: Virus recovery from either cells or plasma.
Results: Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 was recovered from 21 (51%) of 41 patients at 0.5 to 21.25 hours postmortem. Recovery of HIV-1 from plasma and/or MNC fractions was variable with 6 (15%) of 41 plasma+/MNC+, 12 (29%) of 41 plasma-/MNC+, three (7%) of 41 plasma+/MNC-, and 20 (49%) of 41 plasma-/MNC-. Plasma p24 levels (> 30 pg/mL) were detectable in 14 (48%) of 37 samples tested. Of those culture-positive patients, seven (33%) of 21 were refrigerated compared with the culture-negative group in which 10 (50%) of 20 were refrigerated. Time from death until specimen acquisition was the only factor significantly associated with recovery of HIV-1.
Conclusion: These results should be useful for health care workers and others exposed to postmortem blood from HIV-infected individuals and should lead to changes in the processing practices of morticians and/or pathologists for HIV-1-infected cadavers.