Archive · 10 Dec 2025
Michigan Man Dies of Rabies from Infected Kidney Transplant
A man in Michigan died from rabies after getting a kidney from a donor who was scratched by a skunk.
The donor, from Idaho, got sick and later died.
Doctors didn't know about the skunk scratch at first.
The man who got the kidney also got very sick and died.
Rabies is a serious disease that affects the brain.
Doctors say this is very rare.
They also found that the donor's corneas were given to three other people, but they didn't get sick.
Only a few cases like this have happened in the US since 1978.
A Michigan man died of rabies after receiving a kidney from a donor who was scratched by a skunk.
The donor, an Idaho man, was scratched by a skunk in October 2024 and later died from rabies.
The transplant took place in December 2024 at an Ohio hospital.
The recipient started showing symptoms of rabies five weeks after the transplant and died shortly after.
The donor's corneas were transplanted into three patients, but none showed symptoms of rabies.
- Who
- A Michigan man who received a kidney transplant and the Idaho donor who was scratched by a skunk
- What
- The Michigan man died of rabies from the infected kidney transplant
- When
- The transplant took place in December 2024, and the recipient died roughly five weeks later
- Where
- The transplant occurred at an Ohio hospital, and the donor was from Idaho
- Why
- The donor was infected with rabies from a skunk scratch, and the virus was transmitted through the kidney transplant
- Donor
- Idaho man scratched by a skunk
- Recipient
- Michigan man who received the kidney
- Transplant Date
- December 2024
- Cause of Death
- Rabies
- Rabies Source
- Bat-linked strain
- Other Transplants
- Corneas transplanted to three patients
- Rabies Testing
- Not routinely done for organ donations