Dr. Bartley Griffith and David Bennet Sr. (University of Maryland School of Medicine)A pig heart, transplanted earlier this year into a human patient who died two months later, was infected with a pig virus, according to the surgeon who performed the procedure.
The virus that was found during testing is called porcine cytomegalovirus (pCMV) and mostly infects pigs but it has been found in humans, according to SwineHealth.org.
Despite this, it is still unknown whether or not human cells can even be infected by pCMV. It is unclear whether or not the virus caused the patient’s death or if it was due to the patient’s advanced state of heart failure before the transplant, according to a statement from the University of Maryland School of Medicine.
The patient’s death is still under investigation. Dr. Bartley Griffith performed the first-of-its-kind heart transplant in January 2022 and all seemed well post-operation.