Michigan patient dies after contracting RABIES from transplanted organ
A Michigan resident has died of rabies after contracting it through a transplanted organ, health officials have confirmed.
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) revealed the patient received the organ in December at a hospital in Lucas County, Ohio and succumbed to the rabies virus in January.
Rabies is a fatal viral disease that affects the central nervous system that is transmitted through the saliva of infected animals such as dogs, racoons, bats, coyotes and foxes.
It fatal in nearly 100 percent of cases and fewer than 20 cases of human survival of rabies have ever been documented.
Early symptoms in humans include fever, headache, agitation, confusion and vomiting. As the infection progresses, patients begin showing signs of excessive salivation, hallucinations, difficult in swallowing, hallucinations and partial paralysis.
While a series of vaccines can be administered after a person suspects they've been exposed to rabies, once symptoms appear, there is no effective treatment.
The organ donor was not a Michigan or Ohio resident and it is not known how they contracted rabies or if they were showing symptoms. Health officials have not released any additional details on either patients or the organ that was transplanted.
A Michigan resident has died of rabies after contracting it through a transplanted organ (Stock image)
According to CBS, this case is Michigan's first human case of rabies since 2009. The most recent rabies death in the US occurred in November 2021 after an 84-year-old man was bit by a bat.
MDHHS spokesperson Lynn Sutfin said today: 'I can confirm that a Michigan resident died of rabies in January 2025.
'The person was a recent organ transplant recipient, and a public health investigation determined they contracted rabies through the transplanted organ.
'The organ transplant was conducted at an Ohio hospital in December 2024. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services worked closely with the Ohio Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on the investigation.'
Sutfin assured the public there was no threat to people and that staff members who were in contact with the patient before they died have been assessed for possible exposure to rabies.
The Toledo-Lucas County Health Department told PEOPLE: 'The recipient received care in Lucas County, Ohio, where they died. A multi-state public health investigation was conducted to determine the risk of exposure to the recipient and found no risk to the general public.
'Because the recipient was a Michigan Resident, this will not reflect as an Ohio human rabies case. No Lucas County residents have contracted or died of rabies.'
While direct human-to-human transmission of rabies has never been confirmed, it can happen in extremely rare cases of an infected organ or tissue transplantation.
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services has revealed that the patient received the organ in December at a hospital in Lucas County, Ohio and succumbed to the rabies virus in January
Rabies is a fatal viral disease that affects the central nervous system
A 2018 study published by the the NIH stated: 'Undiagnosed or misdiagnosed rabid donors are the reason for rabies virus transmission via solid organ or tissue allotransplantation.'
It remains unclear how the infection spreads from a tainted organ to the rest of the body.
While organs are routinely screened for infectious diseases, cancers, quality and functionality prior to transplant, rabies testing is not typically performed as the infection is rare and test results can take several days.
In 2013, the CDC confirmed the death of four people in Maryland who contracted rabies after receiving organs from the same donor.
In 2004, the agency also reported the rabies deaths of three people who received organs from a common infected donor.
On average, around 4,000 animal rabies cases are reported each year, with over 90 percent occurring in wildlife and less than 10 deaths occur annually, according to the CDC.
