Rapid technological developments continue to lead to advances in many areas. It would not be wrong to state that one of them is medicine. In the past months, we have conveyed to you that a very important step has been taken in the light of these efforts and that for the first time in history, the heart of a pig was successfully transplanted to a 57-year-old person named David Bennet.
It was announced that the patient died two months after this operation, which was performed with the help of a genetically modified pig. Scientists stated that they are continuing their investigations about the death of the patient and that they will share information about the cause. Now, important statements have been made on this subject.
A virus that infects pigs may have contributed to the death of the patient
According to what was reported by the New York Times, the cause of death of an American man named David Bennet was pigs. It could be an infecting virus. The surgeon who performed the operation, Dr. Bartley Griffith stated that the presence of a virus called porcine cytomegalovirus (PCMV) in the patient may have contributed to the death.
But Griffith added that there is no evidence that the virus has developed an infection or that the body has rejected the genetically engineered heart. It was also among the statements that Bennet was very ill before the procedure and suffered from many complications after the transplant. Griffith said that what happened did not scare them, it was important in the way of learning; He noted that this could lead to better results in the future.
The virus was found in the patient’s DNA 20 days later
The University of Maryland, which performed the operation, also stated that there was no evidence that the virus caused an infection; however, he stated that the scans can only detect active infections. It was stated that this showed that the virus could have been found in the pig’s body unnoticed and passed to the patient. Griffith also stated that they reached the virus DNA 20 days after the heart transplant; but noted that it is at low levels.
Griffith reported that on the 40th day after that, Bennet had health problems and increased viral DNA levels. For this reason, the researcher stated that they focused on the possibility that the virus may have contributed to the events. It was also among the news that the studies on potential causes were continuing.
Finally, Revivicor, the company that provided the transplanted heart, and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which authorized the operation, were reached for comments on the subject; however, no explanation was given.
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