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Man dies of rabies after kidney transplant from donor who saved kitten from skunk (www.theguardian.com)

submitted 4 weeks ago by MicroWave@lemmy.world to c/health@lemmy.world

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Michigan man received kidney transplant from donor who had fought off a skunk and was later found unresponsive

A Michigan man has died of rabies after receiving a kidney from another man who died of the disease when he was scratched by a skunk while defending a kitten, in what officials are describing as an “exceptionally rare event”.

According to a recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Michigan patient received a kidney transplant at an Ohio hospital in December 2024.

Around five weeks later, he began experiencing tremors, lower extremity weakness, confusion and urinary incontinence. He was soon hospitalized and ventilated, then died. Postmortem testing confirmed rabies, the CDC report said, baffling authorities because the recipient’s family had said he had not had any exposure to animals.

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[–] Hawke@lemmy.world 1 points 4 weeks ago (1 children)

That might cause the system to have slightly lower profits though. Organs aren’t cheap!

[–] shalafi@lemmy.world 2 points 4 weeks ago (1 children)

It's simply stupid to test the doners brain for rabies when there's a case or two a year out of 330,000,000 million Americans. And what are the odds that one of those cases is both asymptomatic and donating during that time.

Plus, if you want to add an additional test on the doner's brain, you've slowed a process that needs to move fast.

[–] Hawke@lemmy.world 1 points 4 weeks ago (1 children)

what are the odds that one of those cases is both asymptomatic and donating during that time

About zero, I guess:

Around five weeks later, he began experiencing tremors, lower extremity weakness, confusion and urinary incontinence.

Maybe when someone dies from rabies, don’t use their organs?

[–] shalafi@lemmy.world 2 points 4 weeks ago (1 children)

That was a description of the recipient, not the donor. No one knew the donor was down with the rabies, but they should have known.

God lord it's dumber than I thought!

Dude gets scratched by a skunk,

Five weeks later, a family member said, he became confused, had difficulty swallowing and walking, experienced hallucinations and had a stiff neck.

And they presumed he had a heart attack?! Jesus. Everyone involved was an idiot; the donor, the family, the doctors.

[–] Hawke@lemmy.world 1 points 3 weeks ago

Yep, you’re right and I misread. But as you found, it looks like they should not have used these organs…