With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, a problem arose with classic body donation programmes for obtaining cadavers for anatomical dissections, science and research. The question has emerged whether bodies of individuals who died of COVID-19 or were infected by SARS-CoV-2 could be admitted to Departments of Anatomy. To determine the risk of SARS-CoV-2 transmission to employees or students, the presence and stability of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in cadavers after fixation agents' application and subsequent post-fixation baths over time were examined. The presence of viral RNA in swabs from selected tissues was assessed by the standardized routine RNA isolation protocol and subsequent real-time PCR analysis. To support the results obtained from the tissue swabs, samples of RNA were exposed in vitro to short and long-term exposure to the components of the injection and fixation solutions used for the bodies' conservation. Substantial removal of SARS-CoV-2 RNA was observed in post-mortem tissue following perfusion with 3.5% phenol, 2.2% formaldehyde, 11.8% glycerol and 55% ethanol, and subsequent post-fixation in an ethanol bath. In vitro experiments showed significant effects of formaldehyde on SARS-CoV-2 RNA, while phenol and ethanol showed only negligible effects. We conclude that cadavers subjected to fixation protocols as described here should not pose a considerable risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection while being handled by students and staff and are, therefore, suitable for routine anatomical dissections and teaching.

Department of Anatomy Faculty of Medicine Masaryk University Kamenice 126 3 625 00 Brno Czech Republic

Department of Forensic Medicine Faculty of Medicine Masaryk University Kamenice 126 3 625 00 Brno Czech Republic

Department of Forensic Medicine St Anne's Faculty Hospital 662 99 Brno Czech Republic

Laboratory of DNA Diagnostics Department of Biochemistry Faculty of Science Masaryk University Kamenice 753 5 625 00 Brno Czech Republic

Laboratory of Neurobiology and Pathological Physiology Institute of Animal Physiology and Genetics Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic Veveří 97 602 00 Brno Czech Republic

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