Michigan man dies of rabies he contracted from transplant donor infected while saving kitten from skunk: CDC

A man in Michigan who received a kidney transplant from an Idaho donor later died from rabies. The virus was transmitted through the kidney, because the donor had gotten bitten by a rabid skunk while trying to rescue a kitten—an incident that went viral within the family.

In December 2024 the transplant took place in Ohio. The recipient, who remains unnamed, began to feel a fever, shivering, muscle weakness, confusion, trouble swallowing, a fear of water, and loss of bladder control roughly five weeks after surgery. He was rushed to a hospital, but despite a week of care he did not recover. Autopsy results revealed that his illness was caused by rabies, according to a CDC report released last Thursday.

Dr. Lara Dazinger‑Isakov, who leads the infectious disease program for immunocompromised patients at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, told the New York Times that this is an “exceptionally rare event,” adding that “overall, the risk is exceptionally small.”

Investigating the donor’s medical history uncovered that in October 2024 he had been scratched on the shin when he stopped a skunk, which was exhibiting “predatory aggression” toward a kitten he was holding on his farm. In the weeks that followed the donor began experiencing hallucinations, difficulty swallowing and walking, and a stiff neck. He was found unresponsive at home, apparently having suffered a heart attack, and was admitted to the hospital. After a brief revival, he was declared brain‑dead a week later; his family disclosed the skunk injury at that time, and his organs were subsequently donated.

The kidney was given to the Michigan recipient, while three other family members received corneas from the donor. The corneal transplants were removed rapidly and the patients were placed on preventive medication, the CDC said. Organ donors are not routinely screened for rabies because human cases are extremely uncommon. In this case, the medical staff treating the donor were initially unaware of the skunk bite and mistook the donor’s early symptoms for chronic health problems, officials reported.

This case becomes only the fourth documented instance of rabies transmission via organ transplantation in the United States since 1978, underscoring how infrequent such events are. Less than ten people die from rabies each year, while more than 3,500 animals are found to test positive annually.

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