Complexity of risk for transfusion malaria and differentiated response to  risk management

Spencer, Bryan R; Katz, Louis M

doi:10.5694/j.1326-5377.2010.tb04011.x

Topics

To the Editor: We read with interest the article by Seed and colleagues1 about the collection and distribution of blood from two donors diagnosed with Plasmodium vivax malaria following travel to Papua New Guinea (PNG). Although the potentially infectious blood components were recalled before transfusion, this case underscores the complexity of managing the risk of transfusion-transmitted malaria (TTM).

1 New England Region, American Red Cross, Dedham, MA, United States.
2 Medical Affairs, Mississippi Valley Regional Blood Center, Davenport, IA, United States.

Correspondence: spencerb@usa.redcross.org

1. Seed CR, Coughlin JT, Pickworth AM, et al. Relapsing vivax malaria despite chemoprophylaxis in two blood donors who had travelled to Papua New Guinea. Med J Aust 2010; 192: 471-473. <MJA full text>
2. Mungai M, Tegtmeier G, Chamberland M, Parise M. Transfusion-transmitted malaria in the United States from 1963 through 1999. N Engl J Med 2001; 344: 1973-1978.
3. Hill DR, Baird JK, Parise ME, et al. Primaquine: report from CDC Expert Meeting on Malaria Chemoprophylaxis I. Am J Trop Med Hyg 2006; 75: 402-415.
4. United States Food and Drug Administration. Blood Products Advisory Committee 96th Meeting, 2009. Topic 1: Blood donor deferral for malaria risk associated with travel to Mexico. http://www.fda.gov/downloads/AdvisoryCommittees/CommitteesMeetingMaterials/BloodVaccinesandOtherBiologics/ BloodProductsAdvisoryCommittee/UCM189010.pdf (accessed Jul 2010).

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