Dubai, United Arab Emirates (CNN) — A genetically modified heart transplanted to a Maryland man in January was found to be infected with a virus originating from a pig, although the cause of his death in March is still under investigation, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. .
And the medical team said in a statement issued by the center, where the very precise transplant was performed, that “a cytomegalovirus, originating from the pig, was found during a specific, highly sensitive test.” This discovery was presented during a recent scientific conference.
The statement added, “There is no evidence to suggest that the virus caused the infection that affected the patient, or that it infected any of the tissues or organs surrounding the heart.” But it is added to the possible causes of death, including “the reality of advanced heart failure that the patient had before transplantation.”
The donor pig had been subjected to “special disease testing several times” in line with FDA protocols, including a test before it was transferred to Maryland, and then transplanted several days later. The medical center noted that the animal was “grown in a facility where methods designed to prevent infection of donor animals with CMV and other potential pathogens are used.”
CNN had reported on the death of patient David Bennett, who was 57 years old, and suffered from a terminal heart disease that did not qualify him to undergo a traditional heart transplant, or an artificial heart pump. The first transplant of its kind involved inserting and modifying some genes from the donor pig to prevent the human immune system from rejecting the organ, as well as eliminating a gene responsible for the growth of pig heart tissue to limit this. Before Bennett’s death, the transplanted heart had been working fine for several weeks, with no signs of immune rejection.
The medical center indicated that it is working on developing advanced screening techniques to avoid facing such a situation in the future.
And the medical center stated on Thursday, that “as plans for future clinical trials are progressing, more complex testing techniques are being developed and validated in parallel, to ensure that this virus is detected, if any.”
