Hi,
    Realistically, what are the chances that routine tissue has CVD? I
think the
real danger here is Hepatitis, HIV, and other more common pathogens.
Let's not
forget Tetanus too as with any serious cut. Needle stick injury studies
are not
especially concerned with CVD since it is so uncommon, and that is
un-fixed.
    Just because a tissue has been fixed does not mean it is completely
pathologically inactive. A famous example of this is a researcher who
was working
with FIXED rabies infected sheep brains. The researcher contacted the
disease
(through bad lab practice on his own part) and eventually died from this
contact
with "FIXED" tissue. Rabies would, in this case, be a good thing to
check on
because the lab knew the research was on rabies.
let's not throw caution to the wind,
Amos Brooks

Gervaip@aol.com wrote:

> What about the possibility of Crezfeld Jacob, slow brain virus.  I don't know
> what they could do if the tissue was positive for this virus... but in any
> case I feel it should still be documented in the event that the cut gets
> infected or some other complication occurs.