Florence, Feb 20 The kidneys and liver of an HIV positive woman have been accidentally transplanted on three patients by a hospital in Florence, local health officials revealed Tuesday.

Experts said there was a “high probability” that the patients may contract the AIDS virus as a result of what was being described as “a human error.”

According to reports, a biologist at Florence’s Careggi Hospital made a mistake in transcribing the results of an HIV test carried out on the dead woman. Hospital staff said the 41-year-old woman probably was not aware of having contracted the virus.

The names of the three who have received her organs have not been made public. They are all thought to be local residents.

“This is the first case of its kind in 40 years,” said Alessandro Nanni Costa of the National Transplant Centre, adding that some 25,000 transplants have been carried out in Italy to date. (DPA)