Infection risk and limitation of fundamental rights by animal-to-human transplantations

Animal-to-human transplantation (xenotransplantation) is a viable hope for the health and even the lives of thousands of people. However, the therapy involves many ethical and legal problems, the most significant of them being the xenogeneic infection risk. It concerns the development and transmission of new diseases derived from animals. This is a real possibility that cannot be ruled out, considering that AIDS, Ebola, or the A(H1N1) influenza are all human diseases of animal origin. The relevance of this analysis goes beyond the limits of xenotransplantation, and it will gain further importance with future developments.