“It's a risk that requires evaluation and rational appraisal”: emotion and infectious risk in xenotransplantation

Abstract

Xenotransplantation (XTP) is a potential solution to a variety of human health problems. While immunological disparities between source animals and humans remain significant hurdles to successful XTP, serious concerns have been raised with regard to cross-species viral transfer (zoonosis). This article explores how six male Australian scientists and clinicians working, or with collaborative roles, in the field of XTP construct infectious risk. These negotiations reveal that they primarily focus on known, measured risks, namely that of porcine endogenous retroviruses. This is used to prove zoonotic safety, which marginalizes broader zoonotic concerns. Such assessments heavily rely upon technical, cultural and emotional evaluations to provide an impression of certainty when faced with the potential problematic and uncertain outcomes. The combination of the technical and emotional, or what I call techniemotion, exposes the emotion that is invested in science and integral to science, and operates as part of XTP science.