Virus found in pig heart used in human transplant

Canada News News

Virus found in pig heart used in human transplant
Canada Latest News,Canada Headlines
  • 📰 CTVNews
  • ⏱ Reading Time:
  • 27 sec. here
  • 2 min. at publisher
  • 📊 Quality Score:
  • News: 14%
  • Publisher: 99%

Researchers trying to learn what killed the first person to receive a heart transplant from a pig have discovered the organ harboured 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.

Still, development is under way 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 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.

We have summarized this news so that you can read it quickly. If you are interested in the news, you can read the full text here. Read more:

CTVNews /  🏆 1. in CA

Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines



Render Time: 2025-02-14 13:29:19