The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed on 4/12 that the male patient underwent the kidney transplant in 12/2024 at an Ohio hospital.

Five weeks post-surgery, the organ recipient developed unusual symptoms, including tremors, muscle weakness, confusion, and incontinence. A week later, he was hospitalized with a high fever, hydrophobia, difficulty swallowing, and autonomic dysfunction. Recognizing clinical signs consistent with rabies, doctors consulted the Ohio Department of Health and the CDC. The man died on his seventh day of inpatient treatment.

Illustrative image: Skedaddle.

Authorities immediately investigated the donor's organ source. The donor's family confirmed that in 10/2024, the donor was scratched by a skunk on the leg, drawing blood. Five weeks after the incident, he began experiencing confusion, difficulty swallowing, and problems walking, accompanied by hallucinations and neck stiffness. The patient was declared brain dead after five days of hospitalization, and his family consented to donate his heart, lungs, left kidney, and two corneas.

Test results showed the rabies virus strain in both the recipient and donor was consistent with types commonly found in bats. Doctors re-examined the donor's kidney biopsy samples. While the transplanted kidney could not be re-tested, biopsy tissue from the untransplanted kidney tested positive for the rabies virus.

In addition to the Michigan man, the donor's corneas were also transplanted into three other patients. Upon discovery of the situation, these eye tissues were removed, with one sample testing positive for the virus. The three cornea recipients are asymptomatic and are receiving intensive prophylactic treatment.

Explaining the failure of early detection, the CDC stated that organ donations in the US do not routinely screen for rabies because the disease is rare in humans and diagnosis is complex. According to Doctor Lara Danziger-Isakov, Director of Infectious Diseases at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, organ donors are typically only screened for HIV and hepatitis. She noted this is an extremely small and rare risk.

Statistics show that since 1978, four organ donors have transmitted rabies to 13 recipients. Of these, seven died due to delayed treatment, while six survived thanks to early medical intervention. Each year, the US records fewer than 10 human deaths from rabies, whereas over 3,500 animals test positive for the virus.

In 2024, the US performed a record 48,149 organ transplants from over 24,000 donors.

By Binh Minh (According to CDC, NYT)