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Case report describes fatal rabies in US organ transplant recipient from undiagnosed donorPatient dies after receiving organ transplant from donor with undiagnosed rabies

AI-generated summary of the cited source, checked by automated accuracy review. How we work

Key Takeaway
Consider rabies in differential for unexplained illness post-transplant.

A case report from the United States describes a fatal outcome in an organ transplant recipient. The patient received a solid organ from a donor who was later found to have had undiagnosed rabies. The report documents the death of this patient following the transplantation procedure. The study design, sample size, and specific follow-up period were not reported. No comparator group or primary outcome measure was specified in the available information. The main result was the occurrence of a patient death. No specific effect size, absolute numbers, or statistical measures were provided. Safety and tolerability data, including adverse events and discontinuations, were not reported. The report does not list specific study limitations. Funding sources and potential conflicts of interest were also not reported. The practice relevance was not explicitly stated, but the case illustrates a critical, albeit rare, infectious disease risk in solid organ transplantation. This underscores the importance of thorough donor screening and post-transplant vigilance for unusual presentations.

A public health report describes a case where a patient in the United States died after receiving a solid organ transplant. The organ came from a donor who had rabies, but the disease was not diagnosed before the donation. This is a very rare event.

The report does not provide details about the patient's age, the type of organ transplanted, or the specific timeline of events. It also does not report on any other recipients who may have received organs from the same donor. The main finding is simply that a death occurred in this specific situation.

There is no information about safety concerns for other patients or changes to medical practice from this single case. The reason to be careful is that this is just one report. It reminds us that donor screening is critical, but it does not mean organ transplants are unsafe. Readers should understand this as a documented, tragic, but extremely rare event in medicine.

What this means for you:
A single case report notes a death from rabies after an organ transplant, a very rare event.

Study Details

EvidenceLevel 5
PublishedDec 2025
View Original Abstract ↓
This report describes the public health response to a patient who died after transplantation with an organ from a donor with undiagnosed rabies.
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