How did the Michigan man contract rabies?

The Michigan man contracted rabies through a kidney transplant from a donor who had contracted the disease from a skunk.

What is the risk of rabies transmission through organ donation?

The risk is extremely low, with only four reported cases of transplant-transmitted rabies in the U.S. since 1978.

Can rabies be detected in organ donors?

Rabies is rarely detected in routine donor testing due to its rarity in the U.S., making transmission events exceptionally uncommon.

Home / Health / Rabies Transplant: Skunk Attack Leads to Fatal Kidney Transfer

Rabies Transplant: Skunk Attack Leads to Fatal Kidney Transfer

9 Dec

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Summary

Kidney recipient died of rabies transmitted through organ donation.
Donor contracted rabies after defending a kitten from a skunk.
This is the fourth reported transplant-transmitted rabies case since 1978.

Rabies Transplant: Skunk Attack Leads to Fatal Kidney Transfer

A Michigan man has died from rabies, with health officials identifying an organ transplant as the unprecedented source of infection. The recipient received a kidney in December 2024, developing severe neurological symptoms approximately five weeks later, ultimately proving fatal.

Investigation revealed the donor, an Idaho resident, had been scratched by a skunk months prior while intervening in an attack on a kitten. While initially unaware of the severity, postmortem testing of donated kidney tissue confirmed a rabies strain consistent with bat rabies, suggesting the donor succumbed to the disease and unknowingly passed it on.

This marks the fourth recorded case of rabies transmission through organ donation in the United States since 1978, highlighting the extreme rarity of such events. Health authorities acted swiftly, administering post-exposure prophylaxis to three individuals who received cornea grafts from the same donor, fortunately preventing further infections.