Law Firm Investigates Possible Mold Deaths Of 2 Patients

PITTSBURGH (KDKA/AP) - Lawyers say the mold crisis at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center could be more widespread.

Mary Frances Reiff died in 2014.

She had a kidney transplant earlier in the year and later developed a fungal infection. Her family wants to know now if her case is like two other mold-related deaths of UPMC patients.

Brendan Lupetin is the attorney representing her family.

"Mrs. Reiff developed a serum infection in August of 2014 and later passed away due to complications in her lungs. So we're just trying to find explanations," said Lupetin.

The law firm Myers Evans and Associates has been contacted by Reiff's family, as well as the loved ones of a New Jersey man, John Petrolino, who died of respiratory failure after a lung transplant. He also developed a fungal infection.

"We're just trying to understand how this happened and how these patients may have contracted these fungal infections in this post-transplant period," says Lupetin.

This is still in an investigation stage and a lot of what happens next depends on the findings of a CDC investigation, which have not been released.

In a statement released Thursday, UPMC said: "We cannot discuss specific cases due to patient privacy; however, we have found no link to the cases in Oakland. While rare, fungal infections do occur and are a particular risk to the sickest patients with the weakest immune systems."

"What that means is that the hospital has to take that much more care to make sure the environment that these patients are put in makes sense and that every possible step is taken to prevent them from developing these infections," Lupetin said.

It is not clear when the investigation stage will be complete.

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