Hygienic requirements for biopsy and autopsy diagnostics

In former times autopsies were the main task of a pathologist and therefore the most frequent source of infection but nowadays cytological and biopsy investigations dominate the pathologist's work. Usually the time interval between the extraction of a specimen, its transport into the laboratory and return of the report is no longer than a few hours. Consequently the staff must often handle unfixed or insufficiently fixed material. This and the occurrence of new infectious diseases, e.g. AIDS and TSE (transmissible spongiform encephalopathies), makes it necessary to analyse and perhaps even change the work in respect to hygiene risks and demands for permanent protection against infection. First of all the risks of infection and the common measures of protection from infections for the staff in biopsy and autopsy departments will be described. Subsequently suggestions to reduce infectious risks in special activities will be presented. The examination of frozen sections or intraoperative biopsy material and the handling of specimens possibly contaminated by HIV and TSE will be considered separately.