An Idaho man, killed by rabies, transmitted the disease through organ donation after going undiagnosed by medical professionals.
The CDC released a report Dec. 4, detailing the rare human-to-human rabies transmission. The case is only the fourth recorded since 1978.
In Oct. 2024, the Idaho donor was approached by a skunk in an outbuilding on his rural property. The donor tried to protect a kitten after witnessing the skunk's aggressive behavior towards the young animal. During the encounter, the man sustained a scratch on the shin, but did not think he had been bitten.
According to the CDC, a member of the donor's household started to notice erratic behavior approximately five weeks after the incident. The Idaho man had difficulty swallowing and walking, experienced hallucinations, and felt neck stiffness.
Two days later, the man was found unresponsive in his home due to a presumed heart attack. The man was resuscitated, but remained unresponsive in the hospital. After five days, he was removed from life support.
The man's left kidney, heart, lungs and both corneas were recovered. According to the report, the kidney was transported to an Ohio hospital, where an adult Michigan man received it through an organ transplant in December.
Five weeks after receiving the left kidney, the Michigan man experienced related symptoms. Seven days later, he was hospitalized, where clinicians consulted the CDC after suspecting the man had been exposed to rabies. The recipient died after spending seven days in the hospital.
The CDC then tracked down the Idaho donor. The CDC, Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, and an Idaho public health district investigated the donor. The rabies identified in the recipient was consistent with a silver-haired bat virus variant, CDC said.
Besides the Michigan man, three patients received ocular grafts and underwent graft removal as well as postexposure prophylaxis or PEP.
The infected organs had been exposed to 370 people. 96% completed risk assessments. According to the report, PEP had been recommended to 46 of those exposed.
The incident marks the fourth time in the United States since 1978 that a transplant has resulted in a rabies transmission. Six recorded recipients who received PEP survived the exposure. Seven who had opted out of the treatment passed away.
The report underscored the danger of rabies as a fatal disease when untreated. CDC urges extreme caution when dealing with exposures.
Link to CDC report.
