Six patients in Brazil have tested positive for HIV after being transplanted with infected organs, officials said.

The Health Ministry's office in Rio de Janeiro said the laboratory responsible for performing tests on donated organs was suspended after organs from two donors were transplanted into six people from the state's transplant list.

Other patients also underwent tests to determine whether the organs they received were infected.

According to the Ministry of Health, all organs stored in the laboratory since December 2023, when that institution was engaged, are also tested. "This is an unprecedented case," the statement said. The police have started investigations to find the perpetrators.

Health authorities were contacted when a heart transplant patient complained of health problems and tested positive for HIV. Two other patients who received a kidney were also infected.

Doctors are concerned that such a serious failure could undermine public confidence in the organ donation service and reduce the number of donors.

The Rio de Janeiro Transplantation Service was established in 2006 and has helped more than 16 people with donated organs, the government announced.