(CN) — A patient at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center died Saturday after contracting a fungal infection, the fifth to die after experiencing a similar infection at one of the center's facilities since 2014.
Dan Krieg, 56, died amid an ongoing federal investigation into mold cases at the hospitals, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
A lawyer for Krieg said that his client underwent a successful kidney transplant in July 2015, but had to return to the hospital in March.
A spokeswoman for the hospitals said that while the medical center is saddened by Krieg's death, it was not directly related to a fungal infection.
Allison Hydzik, another spokeswoman for the hospitals, said his death was caused by pneumonia. Autopsy results are pending.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said that the infections suffered by four other organ transplant patients were likely the result of spending time in a "negative pressure" room that is typically reserved for individuals who already have infections. The hospitals suspended their transplant program for six days this past September after mold was discovered. Two hospitals were reopened after a review of treatments and procedures.
The medical center has acknowledged the existence of the room, but said that the system was not in use during Krieg's time at the hospital.
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