A Michigan grandfather who spent years waiting for a life-saving kidney transplant died within days after receiving an organ infected with rabies.
The Fatal Chain of Events
Barney Kurowicki, a retired postal worker and farmer from Tecumseh, contracted the deadly disease in January 2025, just weeks after he underwent the surgery. The fatal chain of events began hundreds of miles away in rural Idaho when organ donor James Martin, 59, was scratched by a skunk while protecting his rescue kitten.
Donor's Decline
Martin fell ill and went into a coma but medics failed to identify the cause of his sickness and he died. Kim Martin recalled her husband dismissing concerns about the skunk scratch in Fall 2024. 'He's like, "I'll be fine. It's just a scratch. I'll just put, you know, Neosporin on it, and I'll be fine after I get it cleaned,"' she told Scripps News. Weeks later, Martin's health deteriorated dramatically. On the day he collapsed, Kim said she found him apparently talking to someone who was not there. Soon afterward, he lost consciousness and fell into a coma. He died a few days later.
Transplant and Infection
Because rabies was not suspected, his organs and tissues entered the transplant system after undergoing standard screening for diseases such as HIV and hepatitis. His kidney was transplanted into Kurowicki, who had spent more than two years undergoing dialysis while waiting for a transplant. He was added to the national transplant waiting list in late 2024 and was offered a donor kidney within days. The surgery took place at the University of Toledo Medical Center in Ohio. But within days Kurowicki began experiencing complications which were initially believed to be cardiac related. However, tests subsequently revealed he had been infected by rabies via his kidney transplant.
Symptoms and Diagnosis
According to a CDC investigation, Kurowicki developed tremors, weakness in his legs, confusion and urinary problems. As his condition worsened, doctors noticed another chilling symptom often associated with rabies: hydrophobia, or fear of water. 'Your throat swells up a little bit, so it's actually painful to drink and swallow,' CDC rabies expert Ryan Wallace told Scripps News. 'But it's more of a neurologic effect, and so people are truly afraid of water.' Medical staff contacted the CDC through a specialized rabies consultation hotline. Testing ultimately confirmed the rabies had been transmitted through the donated kidney. Rabies is almost universally fatal once symptoms develop. Kurowicki died just days after the disease was identified.
Public Health Response
The discovery triggered an urgent, multi-state public health response as officials raced to determine whether anyone else had been exposed through Martin's donated tissues. Three patients who had already received cornea grafts from Martin's donated tissue were told to undergo treatment and have the grafts removed. Another planned transplant was stopped before it could proceed. All of the cornea recipients survived. 'I am super proud of public health in this situation,' Idaho state epidemiologist Dr. Christine Hahn told Scripps News. 'Unfortunately, the gentleman who passed away, the initial recipient, did not survive, but the fact that we were able to jump into action and get these other folks protected just makes me really proud.'
Rare Event
Investigators later concluded that the rabies strain involved was associated with silver-haired bats rather than skunks. Experts believe the skunk that scratched Martin may itself have become infected after consuming a rabid bat. The CDC emphasized that the tragedy represents an exceptionally rare event. According to the agency, only three previous incidents of rabies transmission through organ transplantation had been documented in the United States since 1978 before this case. 'This is a very rare event,' said David McCormick, a medical officer in the CDC's Office of Blood, Organ and Other Tissue Safety. 'Organ transplantation in the United States is very safe.' McCormick also noted the practical challenges of routine rabies testing. 'The testing is very complex and can only be done at certain centers,' he said.
Proposed Changes and Lawsuit
Federal officials have since proposed changes that could strengthen donor screening, including additional questions about potential rabies exposure and clearer procedures for involving the CDC when concerns arise. Kurowicki's family has now filed a lawsuit against doctors, transplant organizations and healthcare providers involved in the transplant process, alleging failures in the vetting of the donor organ. The University of Toledo Medical Center said in a statement that a review determined 'all established safety protocols and best practices were properly followed.' For Kim Martin, the tragedy remains almost impossible to comprehend. When she later learned that another man had died after receiving one of her husband's donated organs, she was devastated. 'My jaw just dropped,' she said. 'I would just apologize. We didn't do this on purpose. We didn't know.'
