Three people who received organ transplants from the same donor developed serious brain problems that federal health officials have linked to a little-known parasite.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the donor became infected with a parasite called Encephalitozoon cuniculi before she died from a stroke, Fox News reports.

The donor was a 43-year-old woman whose kidneys, heart, and liver were transplanted into patients in February 2014. Shortly afterward, all three organ recipients developed brain problems lab tests tied to the parasite.

"All three [transplant] recipients developed severe neurological complaints within a few months of the transplant," said study researcher Rachel Smith, of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

She added that this parasite "may be more common than we think."

Smith presented the case this month at IDWeek, a meeting of several organizations focused on infectious diseases.

Infections from organ transplants strike about 2 percent of U.S. patients.