One patient dies, second becomes ill from donated kidneys

BOSTON—State health officials say one patient died and another became critically ill after receiving kidneys at Boston hospitals from a donor who carried an undetected virus.

The Boston Globe reports the donor was a 49-year-old homeless man. Doctors were unaware that the man was a carrier of a virus known as LCMV, which also killed three transplant patients from Massachusetts and Rhode Island in 2005.

Officials said the organs were tested for more easily detectable infections, such as hepatitis and the virus that causes AIDS. But there is no quick test for LCMV.

A 70-year-old woman died in March after receiving one of the donor's kidneys. A 57-year-old man who received the other kidney became seriously ill.

The donor was considered "high-risk" because he was homeless, but both patients reportedly agreed to the transplants because of their worsening medical conditions.

------

Information from: The Boston Globe, http://www.boston.com/globe