Researchers seeking to figure out what killed the first person to undergo a heart transplant from a pig discovered the organ had an animal virus, but they can’t determine whether it played a part in the man’s death or not.
David Bennett Sr., 57, of Maryland, died in March, two months after the breakthrough experimental transplant. Doctors from the University of Maryland stated on Thursday that they discovered an unexpected surprise viral DNA within the pig heart. They found no evidence that the bug, known as porcine cytomegalovirus, was causing an active infection.
However, one big concern concerning animal-to-human transplants is the possibility of introducing new pathogens to people.
Dr. Bartley Griffith, the surgeon who conducted Bennett’s transplant, said that certain viruses are latent, meaning they hide without producing disease.
Still, more advanced tests are being developed to ensure that these viruses are not missed, according to Dr. Muhammad Mohiuddin, scientific director of the university’s xenotransplant programme.
MIT Technology Review initially reported on the animal virus, citing a research presentation Griffith made last month to the American Society of Transplantation.
Doctors have attempted to save human lives using animal organs for decades without success. Bennett, who was dying and ineligible for a human heart transplant, had a last-ditch procedure using a heart from a pig that had been genetically engineered to reduce the danger of his immune system rejecting the organ.
The Maryland team stated that the donor pig was healthy, had passed FDA infection tests, and was maintained in a facility meant to protect animals from transmitting illnesses. The business that gave the animal, Revivicor, declined to comment.
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While his patient was very ill, Griffith claimed he was doing well after the transplant until one morning when he awoke with symptoms comparable to an infection. Bennett was given antibiotics, antiviral medicine, and an immune-boosting therapy after doctors conducted multiple tests to attempt to figure out what was wrong.
However, the pig heart swelled, filled with fluid, and finally stopped working. He said that the reaction did not appear to be conventional organ rejection and that the research was still ongoing.
Meanwhile, scientists at other medical institutes around the country have started experimenting with animal organs in donated human bodies, and they are eager to begin official research in real patients as soon as possible.
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