CDC Confirms West Nile Virus Spread Through Transplants

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed earlier suspicions that four persons who received organs from a Georgia donor were infected with the West Nile virus as a result of their transplants.

One of the four organ recipients died of West Nile encephalitis, a brain inflammation caused by the virus (see earlier Transplant Week story). The other three are recovering, two after developing encephalitis.

Until these cases, the possibility that West Nile virus could be passed through organ donations or blood transfusions was considered unlikely. All previous victims were infected via mosquito bites. It still remains unclear whether the virus can be transmitted by a transfusion.

While no screening test is yet available to quickly determine if a potential organ donor may be carrying the virus, health authorities emphasized that the benefits of organ transplants far outweigh what is still an extremely remote risk of catching West Nile.