Transfusion-Transmitted Malaria Prevention Strategies
Summary
Transfusion-transmitted malaria is a rare but serious risk in both endemic and non-endemic regions, arising when Plasmodium spp. in donated blood bypasses pre-erythrocytic host defences. Prevention strategies combine rigorous donor selection, refined deferral policies and advanced diagnostic screening to balance safety with blood availability. In non-endemic settings, donor questionnaires, serological assays and nucleic acid tests are used to identify low-level infections in travellers or migrants. Endemic areas contend with high rates of asymptomatic parasitaemia, where rapid diagnostic tests and microscopy often lack sensitivity, prompting adoption of molecular and isothermal amplification methods. Pathogen reduction technologies and routine recipient prophylaxis further mitigate risk. Global collaboration on evidence-based policies and scalable diagnostics is pivotal to safeguarding transfusion safety while maintaining an adequate supply.
Research from Nature Portfolio
No recent Nature Portfolio content available.
Transfusion-Transmitted Malaria Prevention Strategies publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in transfusion-transmitted malaria prevention strategies across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Asymptomatic parasitaemia: Presence of malaria parasites in the bloodstream without clinical symptoms.
Polymerase chain reaction (PCR): A molecular technique that amplifies DNA sequences to detect low-density infections.
Loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP): A rapid nucleic acid amplification method performed at a constant temperature for pathogen detection.
Serological screening: Assessment of blood for antibodies to identify past or ongoing infections.
Deferral period: The mandated interval during which individuals are excluded from donating blood following potential malaria exposure.
References
- A systematic review of transfusion-transmitted malaria in non-endemic areas. Malaria Journal (2018).
- What is the best strategy for the prevention of transfusion-transmitted malaria in sub-Saharan African countries where malaria is endemic?. Malaria Journal (2013).
- Screening blood donors for malaria, can we increase the number of eligible donors? An observational retrospective study. Malaria Journal (2024).
- Evaluating 18s-rRNA LAMP and selective whole genome amplification (sWGA) assay in detecting asymptomatic Plasmodium falciparum infections in blood donors. Malaria Journal (2019).
- Still Searching for a Suitable Molecular Test to Detect Hidden Plasmodium Infection: A Proposal for Blood Donor Screening in Brazil. PLOS ONE (2016).
About these summaries
This Nature Research Intelligence Topic summary is created with the cited references and a large language model. We take care to ground generated text with facts, and have systems in place to gain human feedback on the overall quality of the process in line with our AI principles. We strive to create accurate and useful summaries for people unfamiliar with the research topic and that supports this goal. These pages are a beta release and will be updated as we learn how best to help people gain value from a research topic summary.
Turn complex research questions into confident strategic decisions
When you're under pressure to set direction, justify investment, or understand your competitive position, you need more than raw data — you need trusted insights you can act on.
Benchmark your performance against global peers using robust, methodologically sound analysis.
Combine quantitative metrics with qualitative expert insight to uncover strengths, gaps and emerging opportunities.
Gain tailored, decision-ready recommendations aligned to your strategic priorities.
Talk to us to learn more about our data dashboards and bespoke strategy reports.
Grow research skills, confidence and careers with training built for every stage of the research lifecycle.
Developed with Nature Portfolio journal Editors and internationally renowned experts. Discover three ways to learn:
Self-paced, online courses in convenient bite-sized units, covering key skills across scientific writing, publishing, grant writing, data analysis, and more.
Expert trainer-led workshops with hands-on exercises and real-time feedback across core research skills, delivered via interactive group sessions.
Editor-led workshops combining core principles in writing and publishing, personalised 1:1 feedback from Nature Portfolio Editors and hands-on exercises.
Explore course catalogues and workshop agendas, enquire about the options or request institutional pricing.