Man dies of rabies from donor kidney

Associated Press

A Maryland man died from a transplanted, rabies-infected kidney from a donor who wasn’t known to have the disease, and the rare death has prompted authorities to treat three others who got organs from the same donor, federal health officials said Friday.

The Maryland man, who died last month, received the kidney more than a year ago. The recipients of the donor’s heart, liver and other kidney are getting anti-rabies shots, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday. Those patients live in Florida, Georgia and Illinois, the CDC said.

The donor, a 20-year-old North Carolina man, died in 2011 in Florida, where he was training to become an Air Force aviation mechanic, the Defense Department said.

The three other recipients have a strong chance of surviving since they haven’t shown symptoms of the disease, said a rabies expert who successfully treated a teenage girl with rabies in 2004.

“They’re getting a really excellent vaccine. This is the best we’ve got,” said Dr. Rodney Willoughby of Milwaukee.

Health officials said they’re trying to identify people in all five states who were in close contact with the donor or the recipients. Those people might also need treatment, the CDC said. The CDC refused to disclose the identities of the donor and recipients.