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

• Grant number: 14/17828-4
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants - Publications - Scientific article
• Start date: October 01, 2014
• End date: March 31, 2015
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Medicine - Medical Clinics
• Principal Investigator: José Eduardo Levi
• Grantee: José Eduardo Levi
• Host Institution: Hemocentro de São Paulo. Fundação Pró-Sangue. Secretaria da Saúde (São Paulo - Estado). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

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. (AU)