Two patients die after being given kidney transplants infected with a parasitic worm

Two patients died after being given kidney transplants infected with a parasitic worm, it was revealed today.

Darren Hughes, 42, and Robert 'Jim' Stuart, 67, were each given a kidney from a transplant donor who was carrying the deadly worm in his organs when he died.

Health bosses have confirmed the 'unique and tragic case' is being investigated after both patients died within three weeks of the kidney transplants.

Doctors were not aware the donor had the worm - known as Halicephalobus, which lives in soil and is found in horses - when the transplant operations were carried out at the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff.

Mr Stuart and Mr Hughes began to 'deteriorate rapidly' after their surgery and died less than three weeks later.

The two men are part of only five cases ever recorded across the world - and all have died from the worm infection.

WHAT IS HALICEPHALOBUS?

Halicephalobus is a parasitic worm which lives in soil and is found in horses.

It is just 1mm long.

The two men are part of only five cases ever recorded across the world - and all have died from the worm infection.

Mr Stuart, of Cardiff, and Mr Hughes, of Bridgend, had kidney transplants in November 2013 but both died before Christmas.

A post-mortem examination revealed they both died from infection called Meningeoencephaltis which was caused by the parasitic worm

Their families are now taking legal action and an inquest is due to be held next week into their deaths.

Their solicitor Julie Lewis, medical negligence expert at legal firm Irwin Mitchell, said: 'The families are both desperately seeking answers as to how these tragedies could have happened and what measures should have been taken to ensure the patients safety.

'They have serious concerns about the information they have heard so far about what happened and hope that the inquest will provide them with answers to the many questions they have about the circumstances leading up to the deaths.'

Miss Lewis added: 'There have only been five reported cases in the world of people diagnosed with the infection, all have been fatal.

'The donor of the kidneys died from the same infection.' 

Darren Hughes, 42, and Robert 'Jim' Stuart, 67, died after given the kidneys from a transplant donor infected with a parasitic worm

Ruth Walker, Director of Nursing at Cardiff and Vale University Health Board, said: 'This is a unique and tragic case and everyone at the health board extends their sincere and heartfelt sympathies to the families involved.

'The health board requested its own independent, external review to establish why these patients died.

'That report has been provided to the coroner's office and we continue to support his investigation into these tragic deaths. It would be in appropriate to comment further ahead of the inquest.' 

They are taking advice from specialist medical negligence lawyers in the hope it 'will provide much-needed answers about how their loved ones died'.

Investigations have been carried out by University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff, NHS Blood and Transplant and Public Health England and Public Health Wales. 

Source: Dailymail