文章基本信息

标题：Transfusion-Transmitted Malaria of Plasmodium malariae in Palermo, Sicily
本地全文：下载
作者：Jessica Pulvirenti ; Maurizio Musso ; Teresa Fasciana 等
期刊名称：Healthcare
电子版ISSN：2227-9032
出版年度：2021
卷号：9
期号：11
DOI：10.3390/healthcare9111558
语种：English
出版社：MDPI Publishing
摘要：Transfusion-transmitted malaria (TTM) is a rare occurrence with serious consequences for the recipient. In non-endemic areas, the incidence of transmission of malaria by transfusion is very low. We report a clinical case of transfusion-transmitted malaria due to Plasmodium malariae, which happened in a patient with acute hemorrhagic gastropathy. Case presentation: In April 2019, a 70-year-old Italian man with recurrent spiking fever for four days was diagnosed with a P. malariae infection, as confirmed using microscopy and real-time PCR. The patient had never been abroad, but about two months before, he had received a red blood cell transfusion for anemia. Regarding the donor, we revealed that they were a missionary priest who often went to tropical regions. Plasmodium spp. PCR was also used on donor blood to confirm the causal link. Discussion and Conclusions: The donations of asymptomatic blood donors who are predominantly “semi-immune” with very low parasitic loads are an issue. The main problem is related to transfusion-transmitted malaria. Our case suggests that P. malariae infections in semi-immune asymptomatic donors are a threat to transfusion safety. Currently, microscopy is considered the gold standard for the diagnosis of malaria but has limited sensitivity to detect low levels of parasitemia. Screening using serological tests and molecular tests, combined with the donor’s questionnaire, should be used to reduce the cases of TTM.
关键词：malaria; blood transfusion; blood donor screening; Plasmodium malariae; transfusion-transmitted malaria; thrombocytopenia; asymptomatic semi-immune donors