Unexpected detection of Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium falciparum DNA in asymptomatic blood donors: fact or artifact?

• Published in: Malaria journal Vol. 13; no. 1; p. 336
• Main Authors: Mendrone, Jr, Alfredo, Cerutti, Jr, Crispim, Levi, José Eduardo, Boulos, Marcos, Sanchez, Maria Carmen Arroyo, Malafronte, Rosely dos Santos, Di Santi, Silvia Maria, Odone, Jr, Vicente
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England BioMed Central Ltd 28.08.2014; BioMed Central
• Subjects: Asymptomatic Infections - epidemiology; Blood donors; Blood transfusion; Disease transmission; Genetic aspects; Humans; Malaria, Falciparum - diagnosis; Malaria, Vivax - diagnosis; Plasmodium falciparum; Plasmodium falciparum - isolation & purification; Plasmodium vivax; Plasmodium vivax - isolation & purification; Transfusion Reaction; Brazil, Amazon R; ASW, Brazil, Sao Paulo; ASW, Brazil
• ISSN: 1475-2875; 1475-2875
• DOI: 10.1186/1475-2875-13-336

A study searching for Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium falciparum DNA among blood donors from the non-endemic area in Brazil reported a rate of 7.41%. This number is at least three times higher than what has been observed in blood donors from the Amazon, an endemic area concentrating >99% of all malaria cases in Brazil. Moreover, the majority of the donors were supposedly infected by P. falciparum, a rare finding both in men and anophelines from the Atlantic forest. These findings shall be taken with caution since they disagree with several publications in the literature and possibly overestimate the actual risk of malaria transmission by blood transfusion in São Paulo city.