The death was at the beginning of the year, but the mystery was solved recently. It is the fourth case in the past 50 years of rabies being transmitted through transplanted organs in the US.
A kidney transplant recipient posed a medical mystery as he died of rabies in January 2025. He died just weeks after undergoing surgery at an Ohio hospital despite having no contact with rabies, according to Science Alert.
A careful investigation by the CDC revealed the cause: the Michigan man’s donor kidney was infected with the deadly virus. This is the fourth time rabies has been transmitted through transplanted organs in the US since 1978.
The case highlights the need for stricter rules for transplant activities where the donor has a history of exposure to animals.
Rabies is a viral pathogen that is spread through the saliva of infected animals, usually through bites or scratches. Capable of infecting all animals and humans, the disease is almost always fatal once symptoms appear. Fewer than 50 cases of survival have been documented worldwide, with specialists rarely able to keep patients alive. Globally, transmission occurs most often through dog bites, but any infected mammal can transmit the disease.
No one made the connection to rabies at the time of death. The organ donor had his heart, lungs, left kidney and corneas removed. About five weeks after receiving the kidney, the Michigan patient developed symptoms consistent with rabies. Doctors sent samples of his saliva, skin and other fluids to the CDC, which detected rabies virus RNA in some of the samples.
The donor’s heart and lungs were used for training at a research center in Maryland and did not pose a risk. Instead, three other patients received donor corneas, and doctors had to remove them.
(source: Mediafax)
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