Rabies Death After Kidney Transplant: A Donor’s Skunk Encounter, Fatal Oversight
In a rare instance, a Michigan man died of rabies after receiving a kidney transplant from an Idaho man who succumbed to the disease. The donor was scratched by a skunk while protecting a kitten. Following the recipient’s death and a review of the donor’s medical history, authorities discovered the skunk encounter and later confirmed the donor’s rabies infection through kidney biopsies. This led to a “likely three-step transmission chain” from a bat to a skunk to the donor and finally, to the recipient. The CDC has reported that this is only the fourth recorded transplant-transmitted rabies event in the U.S. since 1978.
John Q. Hosedrinker