Use of a NAT-based assay to improve the surveillance system and prevent transfusion-transmitted malaria in blood banks

• Published in: Malaria Journal
• Main Authors: Daniele Rocha, Gisely Cardoso de Melo, José Marcelo Hipólito Carneiro, Marisa Ribeiro, Sthefanie Ribeiro, Daniela Tupy de Godoy, Anne Cristine Gomes de Almeida, Elisabete Ferreira de Andrade, Cláudia Maria de Moura Abrahim, Nelson Abrahim Fraiji, Antonio Gomes Pinto Ferreira, Wuelton Marcelo Monteiro, Rodrigo Brindeiro, Amilcar Tanuri, Marcus Vinicius Guimarães de Lacerda, Patrícia Alvarez
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: BMC 2020
• Subjects: Malaria; Plasmodium; Molecular diagnostic; Blood transfusion; Transfusion-transmitted malaria; Hemovigilance; Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine; RC955-962; Infectious and parasitic diseases; RC109-216; Arctic
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12936-020-03345-y; https://doaj.org/article/37a2bc98fa3a436dacc477b830813e34

Abstract Background Malaria can be transmitted by blood transfusion through donations collected from asymptomatic donors. Transfusion-transmitted malaria (TTM) poses a great risk to blood services worldwide. A good screening tool for Plasmodium spp. detection in blood banks must have a high sensitivity for prevention of TTM. However, in Brazilian blood banks, screening for malaria still relies on microscopy. Methods In Brazil, screening for human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV), RNA/DNA for hepatitis C (HCV) and hepatitis B (HBV) viruses is mandatory for every blood donation and uses nucleic acid amplification testing (NAT). The aim of this study was to evaluate the inclusion of an assay for malaria to identify Plasmodium sp. from total nucleic acid (TNA; DNA/RNA) by targeting the 18S rRNA gene of the parasite. Results Considering the limitations of microscopy and the wide availability of the Brazilian NAT platform in the screening of blood units for HIV, HCV, and HBV, a molecular diagnostic tool was validated for detection of Plasmodium sp. in blood banks; a pilot study showed that using this novel NAT assay could reduce the risk of TTM. Conclusion The prototype HIV/HCV/HBV/malaria NAT assay was effective in detecting infected candidate donors and has good prospects to be applied in routine screening for preventing TTM.