Overview
- The Michigan recipient developed neurologic symptoms about five weeks after a December 2024 kidney transplant in Ohio and died a week after hospitalization in January 2025.
- Archived tissue from the Idaho donor’s kidney tested positive for rabies virus RNA, with sequencing consistent with a bat-linked strain identified in the recipient.
- The donor had been scratched by a skunk weeks before his death, a risk noted during assessment but not escalated because routine rabies testing is not performed for donors.
- Three corneal graft recipients had their transplants removed; one cornea tested positive for rabies, and all recipients received post-exposure prophylaxis without reported symptoms.
- Public health officials evaluated 357 potential contacts and advised 46 to receive prophylaxis, as the CDC reiterated guidance to assess donors with recent animal exposure or acute encephalopathy.