Death of Organ Transplant Recipient Tied to Rabies

Three others who got organs from same donor now getting shots

Three transplant recipients who got organs from the same donor are getting rabies shots after a fourth died of the disease more than a year after the transplant, the CDC reported.

The cause of death of the Maryland resident has been confirmed to be rabies of the same type found in tissue samples from the organ donor, the agency said in a news release.

Organs from the same donor were transplanted into patients in Florida, Georgia, and Illinois, the agency said, and they are now being evaluated by their healthcare providers and getting immune globulin and anti-rabies vaccinations.