Organ Transplantation and Rabies

The CDC said a Michigan man who received a kidney in Ohio in December 2024 died in February from transplant-associated rabies, tracing the donor’s infection to a skunk scratch in Idaho that likely involved a silver‑haired bat variant. Three corneal tissue recipients had grafts removed, received rabies treatment and remain asymptomatic, while officials notified 370 potential contacts and recommended post‑exposure procedures for 46. The CDC noted rabies is not part of routine donor testing due to its rarity and complexity, calling this the fourth documented U.S. transplant-transmitted rabies case since 1978.