Analysis of the risk of transmitting bovine spongiform encephalopathy through bone grafts derived from bovine bone.

Bone substitutes of bovine origin are widely used for treatment of bone defects in dental and orthopedic surgery. Due to the occurrence of BSE and the new variant of Creutzfeldt Jakob Disease risks of transmitting diseases through the use of such materials need to be carefully evaluated. Risk analysis can either be based on theoretical assessments or experimental evidence. Here we present a comparative study on two bovine bone substitutes (Bio-Oss and Osteograf/N) which is based on theoretical values. Furthermore, for one of these materials, i.e. Bio-Oss, the prion inactivation capacity of one of the production steps was experimentally evaluated. Theoretical and experimental data indicate that the use of these materials does not carry a risk of transmitting BSE to patients.