A grandfather from Michigan passed away after donating a kidney, believing it would save him, according to health officials. Tragically, an organ donor contracted rabies from a skunk, raising concerns about potential implications for other donors as well.
Barney Krowicki of Tecumseh, Michigan, who had been on dialysis for two years, received a kidney transplant in December 2024 from 59-year-old James Martin, a father of three from Idaho. A report from this week highlighted the situation.
Martin had previously died, and his family thought it was due to a heart condition, as explained by his widow, Kim.
Kim Martin later revealed she was completely unaware of her husband’s rabies infection.
Shortly after the transplant at the University of Toledo Medical Center in Ohio, Krowicki experienced tremors, leg weakness, confusion, and developed an unusual fear of water. He reported these symptoms to his doctors, as noted in a CDC report.
He unfortunately passed away just days later, according to the report.
Following tests and an investigation, it was concluded that Krowicki contracted rabies from Martin. It turned out that while rescuing his family’s cat in the fall of 2024, Martin had been scratched by a skunk.
Kim recounted that Martin shrugged off the minor injury, thinking it was just a scrape that would heal with some Neosporin.
Believing Martin died from heart issues, his family consented to donate his other organs to recipients across six states.
Afterward, Martin fell ill, lost consciousness, and ultimately slipped into a coma.
His family felt his deteriorating health could be related to a variety of other health issues he had faced over the years.
While the donated organs were screened for common diseases like HIV and hepatitis, rabies was not part of the screening, despite it being responsible for around ten fatalities in the U.S. annually.
“Given the urgent need for organs and the time sensitivity of donations, waiting a few days to test for rabies could really delay the process,” remarked David McCormick, a CDC medical officer involved in the case investigation.
The last time the CDC recorded a rabies case linked to organ or tissue transplants in the U.S. was in 2013, following a similar incident in 2004.
“This is a very rare occurrence,” McCormick emphasized. “Organ transplants in the United States are very safe.”
The committee focused on minimizing donor-related illnesses during transplants is now suggesting additional screening questions to identify potential rabies exposure, along with a collaborative system with organ procurement organizations.
