KMBC 9: Teen's mysterious illness after kidney transplant caused by tick bite

By Kelly Eckerman

After a year and a half on a waiting list, Gage Schneider, 17, learned he would get a donor kidney. The transplant was performed at Children's Mercy Hospital three weeks ago, and it was a success.

"We were so excited. We were over the moon," Gage Schneider's mom, Michelle Schneider said.

But just days after coming home, everything changed. Gage Schneider was running a high fever and his blood counts were dropping. Doctors' first concern was that Gage Schneider was rejecting his new kidney. A biopsy ruled that out. As the teen's health deteriorated, a team of specialists at Children's Mercy moved fast trying to figure it out.

"It was something we call ehrlichia chaffeensis. It's a bacteria that comes from ticks that often live in Missouri," Dr. Dwight Yin said.

Gage Schneider lives in a wooded area and was somehow bitten by a tick, possibly when he was outside with his dogs after the transplant.

"He's going to have a full recovery and do great things," Michelle Schneider said.

Doctors at Children's Mercy Hospital are submitting the case to the medical journals to help alert other doctors.

See the full story via KMBC 9

Learn more about Nephrology at Children's Mercy