Related Experiment Videos
Rabies Acquired Through Kidney Transplantation in a Child: A Case Report
Bassam Saeed1, Mustafa Al-Mousawi
1Pediatric Department, Al Jahra Hospital, Kuwait.
Insights
Rabies can rarely transmit to organ transplant recipients from deceased donors. This case highlights the importance of considering rabies in unexplained encephalitis post-transplant.
Area of Science:
- Medicine
- Virology
- Transplantation
Background:
- Rabies is typically transmitted via animal bites.
- Rarely, rabies can be transmitted through deceased donor organs and tissues.
- Organ transplantation involves risks, including infectious disease transmission.
Observation:
- A 5-year-old girl developed unexplained encephalitis 3.5 months post-kidney transplant.
- Her condition rapidly declined, leading to death within 4 days.
- Another recipient from the same donor also died, prompting an investigation.
Findings:
- The investigation revealed rabies as the cause of death in both recipients.
- Polymerase chain reaction analysis confirmed rabies virus in donor corneas.
- The virus strain matched the donor's state of residence, an endemic area.
Implications:
- Rabies transmission via organ donation, though rare, must be considered.
- Donors from or who visited rabies-endemic regions require careful screening.
- Unexplained deaths in donors warrant thorough investigation to prevent further transmission.
Abstract:
Rabies is usually transmitted to humans through bites of infected animals; however, it can rarely be transmitted through deceased donor organs or tissues when not suspected. Here, we report a case of rabies transmission in a child. The child was a 5-year-old girl who was admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit with encephalitis of unexplained cause 3.5 months after she received a kidney transplant from a deceased donor. The laboratory and imaging studies did not reveal any explanation for her rapidly declining clinical and neurologic condition, which ended with death 4 days after admission. Death of another recipient from the same donor led to an investigation that revealed rabies as the cause. Both corneas were explanted from other recipients to prevent further death. Polymerase chain reaction sequence analysis of the corneas was consistent with a rabies virus from the same donor's state of residence. Rabies transmission, although rare, should be suspected when a donor comes from or has visited endemic countries. Donors with unclear causes of death should be rejected.