Ashima Sharda Mahindra • 28 Mar 2025
Patient Dies After Contracting Rabies Through a Transplanted Organ; Here's How the Deadly Virus Strikes
The patient received the transplant at a hospital in Ohio and died within a month
A resident of Michigan in the United States who received a transplant in December last year has died after being infected with rabies from the new organ, according to the state health department. “A public health investigation determined they contracted rabies through the transplanted organ,” Lynn Sutfin, a spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services, said in a statement.
News reports say the patient, whose identity or information about the organ has not been revealed, received the transplant at a hospital in Ohio and died within a month. However, officials said the donor was not a resident of Michigan.
The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention’s rabies laboratory has confirmed the diagnosis. "Health officials worked together to ensure that people, including health care providers, who were in contact with the Michigan individual were assessed for possible exposure to rabies," the statement added. "Post-exposure preventive care, if appropriate, has been provided."
Even though potential organ donors in the United States are screened for viruses, bacteria, and other infections, rabies is not usually among those tests, in part because the test for it takes too long and because the infection is so rare in people.
What is the rabies virus?
Rabies virus, or RABV, is transmitted through direct contact like broken skin or mucous membranes in your eyes, nose, or mouth with saliva, brain, or nervous system tissue from an infected animal. According to doctors, even though rabies is fatal but completely preventable,. It spreads to people and pets if they are bitten or scratched by a rabid animal.
What happens when you get rabies?
Rabies virus gets into your body when the saliva of an infected animal gets into an open wound, which usually happens from a bit. The virus moves very slowly along nerves into your central nervous system, which includes your brain and spinal cord.
When it reaches your brain, the damage causes neurological symptoms, and from there it leads to coma and death.
How does rabies affect your body?
Doctors say rabies moves from an infected wound to your brain over time. There are several phases that most people go through, which include:
- Incubation
- Prodromal phase
- Acute neurologic phase
- Coma
Signs and symptoms of rabies
There will usually be no symptoms of rabies for several weeks after it enters your body. When rabies makes it to your central nervous system, you may have flu-like symptoms. In the final stages, you have neurological symptoms. A few of these include:- Fever
- Tiredness and fatigue
- Bite wound burning, itching, tingling, pain or numbness
- Cough
- Sore throat
- Muscle pain
- Nausea and vomiting
- Diarrhoea
- Agitation and aggression
- Restlessness
- Seizures
- Hallucinations
- Muscle twitching
- High fever
- Racing heart
- Fast breathing or hyperventilation
- Excessive salivation
- Facial paralysis or facial palsy
- Fear of water or drinking
- Delirium
- Neck stiffness
- Paralysis
- Coma
How can you treat rabies?
While there is no approved treatment for rabies once you have symptoms, doctors say if you have been exposed to the virus, it is best to contact a doctor immediately. Firstly, clean the wound gently if you have been bitten with soap and water.
After that, you need to get a series of shots to prevent the virus from causing rabies. You will also be given an antibody treatment directly to the wound if you have never been vaccinated before. Four to five shots are given within 20 days. However, if you have already been vaccinated before exposure, you will only need two shots. The vaccine teaches your body to destroy the rabies virus before it enters your brain.
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