Signs of an Animal Virus Discovered in Man Who Received a Pig’s Heart
Signs of an Animal Virus Discovered in Man Who Received a Pig’s Heart
AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTYou have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load.The patient showed no sign of rejecting the genetically modified organ, but suffered numerous complications before dying.A heart from a genetically modified pig transplanted into a human patient, David Bennett Sr. He carried DNA from an animal virus, his surgeon disclosed. Credit...University of Maryland School of Medicine, via ReutersPublished May 5, 2022Updated May 9, 2022Traces of a virus known to infect pigs were found in a 57-year-old Maryland man who survived for two months with a heart transplanted from a genetically altered pig, according to the surgeon who performed the procedure, the first of its kind.The disclosure highlights one of the most pressing objections to animal-to-human transplants, which is that widespread use of modified animal organs might facilitate the introduction of new pathogens into the human population.The presence of the virus’s DNA in the patient may have contributed to his sudden deterioration more than a month after the transplant, said the surgeon, Dr. Bartley Griffith of the University of Maryland School of Medicine.But there was no evidence that the patient developed an active infection with the virus, or that his body had rejected the heart, Dr. Griffith added.The patient, David Bennett Sr., had been extremely ill before the surgery and suffered numerous other complications after the transplant. He died on March 8.Dr. Griffith’s revelations about the viral traces found in the patient, made last month during an American Society of Transplantation meeting, were first reported by MIT Technology Review.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe.AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENT