Enfermedades infecciosas clínicas y práctica

Abstracto

High Risk of Transfusion-Transmitted Malaria (TTM) from Student Blood Donors Living in the Town of Douala, Cameroon

Martin Luther Koanga Mogtomo *,Loick Pradel Kojom Foko ,Eliane Vanessa Assokom Okoubalimba ,Elisee Embolo Enyegue ,Annie Rosalie Ngono Ngane

Objective: Despite its contribution in managing and saving human lives, blood transfusion nonetheless can represent one obvious hazard in the transmission of many infectious diseases, among which malaria. This study aimed at determining the risk of transfusion-transmitted malaria (TTM) from student donors.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out in January 2015 in students living in the town of Douala, Cameroon. One hundred and seventy nine (179) students aged between 18 and 32 years were included in the study and their blood tested for the presence of malaria parasites using thick blood films. A questionnaire form was administered to each participant for documenting socio demographical, clinical and malaria-related data.

Results: The prevalence of malaria infection among donors was 27.54%. Overall prevalence of the asymptomatic malaria was 10.17% which accounted for 47.36% of all cases of malaria infection. Malaria prevalence was higher in males compared to their female counterparts (29.85%), in those aged 21-25 years old (32.55%) and who were not using insecticide-treated bed nets (26.31%). Mean parasite density was the highest in males, 21-25 years old and bed nets users with 139 ± 346 parasites/μl, 132 ± 341 parasites/μl and 156 ± 476 parasites/μl respectively. None of the factors tested were found to be associated with an increased risk of malaria infection (pvalue> 0.05).

Conclusion: This study has highlighted a potential high risk of TTM from student donors. In many endemic areas malaria diagnosis is overlooked thus increasing the risk of TTM and constraining its appraisal. This study fills the gaps a little in field of blood transfusion safety in our setting and we expect it will be helpful to adequately define policies in order to undermine the misperceptions about TTM such as screening malaria parasite and selection of potential donors in blood banks prior to the transfusion.