Seroprevalence of HIV, HBV and HCV in forensic autopsies, of presumed low risk, in Tehran, the capital of Iran.
The purpose of this study is to determine whether autopsies of bodies believed to be from low risk groups, are safe or not. A research study was undertaken to identify the seroprevalence of HIV, HBV and HCV in a presumed low risk forensic autopsy population in Tehran, the capital of Iran. One hundred and seventy three blood samples were collected from cases autopsied at the Tehran Legal Medicine Organization between September 2000 and October 2001. Eight serum samples were positive for HbsAg; 7 were positive for anti-HCV; None was positive for anti-HIV-1, 2. The authors advise that all forensic specimens-even those from bodies presumed to be of low risk, should be treated as potentially infectious and appropriate precautions should be taken when performing autopsies.
Sanaei-Zadeh
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Department of Forensic Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. h_sanaee46@yahoo.com
Amoei
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Taghaddosinejad
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