Liver Transplant Recipient Among Those Who Died From SARS in Toronto

A liver transplant recipient on anti-rejection drugs was among those who contracted severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and died during the outbreak this past winter in Toronto, according to the researchers reporting in the American Journal of Transplantation.

People who have had organ transplants, because they are immunosuppressed, are more susceptible to SARS just as they are to a variety of other illnesses. And during the second Toronto SARS outbreak this spring, most transplants were temporarily placed on hold.

But the University of Toronto researchers provide the first report of a patient post-liver transplant who contracted SARS and died during the initial outbreak, "with subsequent infection of family and several health-care workers.

"As SARS spreads throughout the world, it may become an increasingly significant problem for transplant patients and programs," the researchers concluded.

They also reported developing during this period guidelines for SARS screening of potential organ donors in Toronto in order to avoid transmission of the disease from a donor.

"A screening tool based on potential hospital SARS exposure, clinical symptoms, and epidemiological exposure was used to stratify donors as high, intermediate or low risk for SARS," the researchers reported.

Other Sources: American Journal of Transplantation, Volume 3 Issue 8 Page 977