Six organ transplant deaths tied to rodent

MILWAUKEE – At least six deaths of organ transplant patients have now been linked to a rodent virus, raising questions about whether others may have gone undetected and whether the virus also could spread through blood transfusions.

Health officials believe the deaths are rare cases, but say the situation merits closer study in light of recent discoveries that rabies and West Nile virus occasionally spread through donated organs with deadly consequences.

“We’re learning as we go here. This is a new phenomenon,” Dr. Matthew Kuehnert, assistant director of blood safety for the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said of the rodent virus. “We haven’t seen any evidence of transfusion-transmitted infection, but that doesn’t mean it couldn’t happen.”

Rhode Island and Massachusetts officials said Monday they are investigating the deaths of three people who got organs from a female donor whose pet hamster tested positive for lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus, or LCMV. A fourth organ recipient is believed to be recovering.

On Tuesday, health officials in Wisconsin revealed that four transplant recipients died in the only previously known cases involving the virus in December 2003.

The cases weren’t clear-cut – the organ donor and a woman who received a lung from him in an operation in Minnesota both tested negative for LCMV. But three other transplant patients tested positive for the virus, strongly suggesting the donor was the source.