An organ transplant procedure turned tragic for a Michigan resident who unknowingly received a kidney from a rabies-infected donor, leading to a fatal infection, a recent report revealed.
Health officials revealed that an unidentified patient, who received a kidney from a rabies-infected donor in December 2024, tragically died in Ohio in January 2025. The donor, who was not from Ohio or Michigan, had been exposed to a wild animal in Idaho five weeks prior to their death but did not seek medical attention and passed away without exhibiting the typical symptoms of rabies.
Estimates show that 99% of rabies infections in humans occur through dog bites and scratches. In rare instances, rabies can be transmitted through organ donation. While potential organ donors in the United States are thoroughly screened for viruses, bacteria, and other infections, rabies is not typically included in routine screenings.
The University of Toledo Medical Center, where the patient received the transplant, issued a statement reassuring the public that person-to-person transmission of rabies is "extremely rare". While such cases have been documented in a very small number of organ transplant scenarios, the hospital emphasized that this remains an isolated and unusual occurrence.
"In addition to the organ donor's kidney, doctors implanted corneal grafts from the donor's eyes into three different patients in three states. Based on the concerning symptoms of the kidney recipient who died, CDC worked with Missouri health officials to intercept a fourth corneal graft before it could be implanted into a Missouri resident," the U.S. Center For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in a statement.
However, all recipients of the corneal tissue have received post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) shots to prevent rabies and are currently healthy, according to the CDC. The agency also alerted close contacts of both the donor and the kidney recipient, advising that anyone with the potential risk of rabies exposure begin rabies PEP as a precautionary measure.
Health officials also assured the public that there is no ongoing threat to general safety.
The best way to prevent rabies is through proper dog vaccination and avoiding bites. If bitten or scratched by an animal that may be rabid, it's important to seek PEP immediately, as the treatment is highly effective when started promptly. However, once symptoms of rabies begin to appear such as fever, vomiting, difficulty swallowing, confusion, and hallucinations, the disease has typically progressed to a near-irreversible stage and is, in most cases, fatal.
