[Prevention of inter-human rabies transmission after corneal graft]

Transplantation, to a normal recipient, of a cornea taken from a donor who died of rabies encephalitis constitutes an extremely serious exposure. Four cases, up to now are known of human to human transmission of rabies virus. In these four cases, the diagnosis of rabies in the donor has been made afterwards when to the recipient developed fatal rabies. We report here the first case of this type of exposure where the diagnosis of rabies in the donor could be made on the day following the transplantation thus allowing application, without delay, the recipient of a prophylactic therapy for inactivated rabies vaccine administered. No signs or symptoms of rabies appeared and, more than three months after the transplantation, the recipient is well and alive.