() — A Michigan resident died in January after getting rabies from an organ transplant, according to multiple media reports.

Although the patient hailed from Michigan, they were receiving medical care in Lucas County, Ohio, in December 2024, as stated by the Toledo-Lucas County Health Department in a statement provided to USA TODAY.

While the patient was a Michigan resident, the person from whom they got the organ was not from the same state or from Ohio, the newspaper reported.

Dr. Carl Schmidt, a deputy coroner with the Lucas County Coroner’s Office, told WTOL that it was a kidney transplant.

“The cause of death is rabies and complications,” Schmidt said. “The diagnosis was confirmed by sending tissue to the CDC.”

Rabies is an illness that primarily targets the central nervous system, resulting in serious brain disorders and possibly death, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It commonly spreads through bites or scratches from an infected animal.

The University of Toledo confirmed Wednesday in a statement to WTOL that the deceased donor organ transplant happened at its medical center.

“UToledo Health prioritizes the safety and well-being of all our patients,” it communicated to WTOL. “The health system has collaborated closely with public health officials and has thoroughly reviewed this case, confirming that all best practices and standard safety procedures were properly implemented.”

It declined to further comment on the situation.

Fewer than 10 people a year die from rabies in the United States, the CDC writes. The Associated Press notes that getting rabies from organ transplants is rare but not unheard of. In 2013, a patient who received a kidney transplant died from rabies.

Michigan Department of Health and Human Services spokesperson Lynn Sutfin said there is no threat to the general public.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.