A pig heart was transplanted to a man - after 2 months he died: now it turned out that the organ was infected with a virus

Experts said the genetically engineered pig whose heart was used in the first human transplant of its kind had a swine virus that may have played a role in the patient's death two months later. Writes about it New York Post.

Photo: Shutterstock

David Bennett Sr., 57, initially seemed to be doing well in the first few weeks after On January 7, he underwent a historic heart transplant. at the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore, but then his condition suddenly deteriorated dramatically.

"He looked very good," said Dr. Bartley Griffith, Bennett's transplant surgeon, during an American Transplant Society webinar.

Despite the efforts of doctors to save the patient with the help of an AIDS drug and antibodies from blood donors, he passed away March 8.

Griffith said subsequent tests showed the animal's transplanted heart was contaminated with porcine cytomegalovirus, which in these artiodactyls can cause a wide range of symptoms, from conjunctivitis and sneezing to pregnancy complications and stillbirths.

The virus has previously been linked to porcine organ transplant failures in baboons.

Griffith suggested that the virus, which was not discovered prior to the transplant operation, may have contributed to Bennett's deterioration and death.

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"We're starting to understand why he passed away," Griffith said, believing swine disease could be the cause of death.

The animal used for the transplant was raised by the biotech company Revivicor, which altered its genome to reduce the risk of Bennett's immune system rejecting the heart.

Joachim Denner of the Institute of Virology at the University of Berlin, who has studied the effects of the swine virus on transplanted organs, said more accurate testing could solve the problem of future animal-to-human transplants.

US teams apparently tested the donor pig's snout for the virus, Denner said, but it is often found deeper in the tissues and is sometimes difficult to detect.

“But if you test the animal better, that won’t happen,” Denner said. The virus can be detected and easily removed, but unfortunately they didn't find it. This was the cause of death - the donor pig was infected, and the virus was transmitted through the transplant.

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Bennett was dying of heart failure and was not suitable for a human heart transplant, making him a suitable candidate for this experimental procedure.

After Bennett's death, his son praised the hospital for the experiment. He and his family hope this will help further efforts to address the organ shortage.

“We are grateful for every groundbreaking moment, every crazy dream, every sleepless night that went into this historic effort,” said David Bennett Jr. “We hope this story can be the beginning of hope.”

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