CDC reports Michigan man died after organ transplant from donor with undiagnosed rabies

MICHIGAN, USA — Typically, the rabies virus is transmitted through animal bites or scratches. However, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) reported a Michigan man died earlier this year from rabies after receiving a kidney transplant from a donor who had undiagnosed rabies.

This incident marked just the fourth transplant-transmitted rabies event in the United States since 1978, according to the CDC.

The CDC recently released its full report in the incident after its investigation. The patient had received a left kidney transplant in December of 2024. The kidney came from an Idaho donor, and the transplant was performed at an Ohio hospital.

About five weeks after what seemed like a successful transplant, the man began experiencing tremors, lower extremity weakness, confusion and urinary