Virus found in pig heart used in human transplant


PTI, May 6, 2022, 6:25 PM IST

Maryland man David Bennett Sr., pictured left, died in March, two months after the groundbreaking experimental transplant. (Credit: AP)

New York: Researchers trying to learn what killed the first person to receive a heart transplant from a pig have discovered the organ harbored an animal virus but cannot yet say if it played any role in the man’s death.

A Maryland man, 57-year-old David Bennett Sr., died in March, two months after the groundbreaking experimental transplant. University of Maryland doctors said Thursday they found an unwelcome surprise — viral DNA inside the pig heart. They did not find signs that this bug, called porcine cytomegalovirus, was causing an active infection.

But a major worry about animal-to-human transplants is the risk that it could introduce new kinds of infections to people. Because some viruses are “latent,” meaning they lurk without causing disease, “it could be a hitchhiker,” Dr. Bartley Griffith, the surgeon who performed Bennett’s transplant, told The Associated Press.

Still, development is underway of more sophisticated tests to “make sure that we don’t miss these kinds of viruses,” added Dr. Muhammad Mohiuddin, scientific director of the university’s xenotransplant program.

The animal virus was first reported by MIT Technology Review, citing a scientific presentation Griffith gave to the American Society of Transplantation last month.

For decades, doctors have tried using animal organs to save human lives without success. Bennett, who was dying and ineligible for a human heart transplant, underwent the last-ditch operation using a heart from a pig genetically modified to lower the risk that his immune system would rapidly reject such a foreign organ.

The Maryland team said the donor pig was healthy, had passed testing required by the Food and Drug Administration to check for infections, and was raised in a facility designed to prevent animals from spreading infections. Revivicor, the company that provided the animal, declined to comment.

Griffith said his patient, while very ill, had been recovering fairly well from the transplant when one morning he woke up worse, with symptoms similar to an infection. Doctors ran numerous tests to try to understand the cause and gave Bennett a variety of antibiotics, antiviral medication, and an immune-boosting treatment.

But the pig heart became swollen, filled with fluid, and eventually quit functioning. “What was the virus doing, if anything, that might have caused the swelling in his heart?” Griffith asked. “Honestly we don’t know.” The reaction also didn’t appear to be a typical organ rejection, he said, noting the investigation still is underway.

Meanwhile, doctors at other medical centers around the country have been experimenting with animal organs in donated human bodies and are anxious to attempt formal studies in living patients soon. It’s not clear how the pig virus will affect those plans.

(By LAURAN NEERGAARD AP Medical Writer)

Udayavani is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel and stay updated with the latest news.

Top News

Passengers on board Air India flight exchange blows over armrest space

Man arrested for posing as Lokayukta official

‘Govt plotting fake encounter against C.T. Ravi’, alleges Union Minister Prahlad Joshi

15-year-old girl raped by school teacher in Rajasthan’s Sikar: Police

3 killed, 6 injured as truck crushes people sleeping on footpath in Pune

Ambedkar row: Congress to hold nationwide protest against Amit Shah’s remarks

Special trains announced from Bengaluru for Christmas and Kumbh Mela

Related Articles More

‘Faster walkers’ had significantly lower risk of diabetes, hypertension: Study

World Meditation Day 2024: Celebrating inner peace and well-being

Virus causing gut infections could play role in development of Alzheimer’s: Study

Air pollution linked to more hospitalisations for all causes, mental illness too, study finds

Plant-based meat alternatives linked to increased risk of depression in vegetarians, study finds

MUST WATCH

Tulunadu Daivaradane

Feeding Birds with Creative Paddy Art!

Areca Nut

HOTEL SRI DURGA BHAVANA

Harish Poonja


Latest Additions

Geethartha Chinthane 133: Detachment with Responsibility

Passengers on board Air India flight exchange blows over armrest space

PM Modi pays tributes to Charan Singh

Car bonnet catches fire; no injuries

Man arrested for posing as Lokayukta official

Thanks for visiting Udayavani

You seem to have an Ad Blocker on.
To continue reading, please turn it off or whitelist Udayavani.