# Wild and Domestic Animal Exposure among Deceased Persons Referred for Organ Procurement, United States

## TL;DR

This study estimates the number of deceased US organ donors with high rabies risk from wild animal exposure in 2024.

## Contribution

The study provides the first estimate of high-risk rabies exposures among deceased organ donors in the US.

## Key findings

- An estimated 12 deceased donors (0.07%) had high-risk wild animal exposures in 2024.
- Identifying these exposures can help prevent rabies transmission through organ transplantation.

## Abstract

Rabies is transmissible through transplantation. Wild mammal bites or scratches carry a high risk for rabies, but their frequency among organ donors is unknown. During 2024, an estimated 12 (95% CI 7–20; 0.07%) of 16,989 deceased US donors had high-risk exposures. Identifying such exposures can mitigate rabies transmission to transplant recipients.