For the first time in the world, an HIV-negative child received a graftliver from an HIV-positive mother. The operation, which took place in a hospital in Johannesburg, South Africa, responded to “exceptional circumstances” due to the state of health of the child, seriously ill with the liver. The intervention took place successfully, without the young patient being infected with HIV. This absence of the virus surprised the medical profession, which expected the child to be HIV-positive. But in the weeks that followed, there were no signs of viral infection.
This transplant from an HIV-positive mother to her HIV-negative son remains “a unique case” because of the risk of transmission of the AIDS virus to the child. The young patient had been waiting for a transplant for 6 months but he had no compatible donor. This transplant, “the first intentional liver transplant of this type in the world” saved the life of the child “who would certainly have died otherwise”, observe the surgeons in the Aids magazine where the case is reported.
“Expanding the choice of organ donors”
The young patient is now taking preventive anti-HIV treatment to rule out any risk of infection. “After more than a year of follow-up, the child is flourishing and the mother is doing well,” say the doctors. They believe that this success should lead to considering HIV-positive people as a potential source of organ donors. “This transplant has the potential to expand the choice of HIV-positive organ donors and mitigate the growing demand for organs.” A controversial hypothesis that comes up against legislation in France: HIV-positive people cannot donate their organs.
In 2016, in Switzerland, a liver transplant between two people with AIDS took place for the first time in the world.
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