Table 6.
Epidemiological characteristics of 163 blood donors identified as responsible for transfusion-transmitted malaria in the American continent, from 1991 to 2015
| Characteristics | Number of cases | Proportion (%) |
|---|---|---|
| Sex (n = 103; completeness = 63.2%) | ||
| Male | 84 | 81.6 |
| Female | 19 | 18.4 |
| Age groups (years) (n = 17; completeness = 10.4%) | ||
| 17–20 | 6 | 35.3 |
| 21–30 | 9 | 52.9 |
| ≥31 | 2 | 11.8 |
| History of living or traveling to endemic areas (n = 63; completeness = 38.7%) | ||
| Yes | 61 | 96.8 |
| No | 2 | 3.2 |
| Probable site of infection (n = 59; completeness = 36.2%) | ||
| Sub-Saharan Africa | 36 | 61.0 |
| Nigeria | 11 | 18.6 |
| Ghana | 6 | 10.2 |
| Liberia | 6 | 10.2 |
| Other Sub-Saharan countries | 13 | 22.0 |
| Latin America | 9 | 15.3 |
| Central American countries | 3 | 5.1 |
| Brazilian Atlantic Coast | 2 | 3.4 |
| Mexico | 2 | 3.4 |
| Colombia | 1 | 1.7 |
| Venezuela | 1 | 1.7 |
| Vietnam | 5 | 8.5 |
| India | 2 | 3.4 |
| Mediterranean countries | 7 | 11.9 |
| Greece | 4 | 6.8 |
| Other Mediterranean countries | 3 | 5.1 |
| History of previous episodes of malaria (n = 33; completeness = 20.2%) | ||
| Yes | 11 | 33.3 |
| No | 22 | 66.7 |
| Plasmodium species found (n = 130; completeness = 79.8%) | ||
| Plasmodium falciparum | 56 | 43.1 |
| Plasmodium malariae | 36 | 27.7 |
| Plasmodium vivax | 30 | 23.1 |
| Plasmodium ovale | 7 | 5.4 |
| Mixed P. falciparum–P. vivax | 1 | 0.7 |
| Method(s) evidencing Plasmodium infection (n = 134; completeness = 82.2%) | ||
| IIF alone | 66 | 49.3 |
| Microscopy plus IIF | 45 | 33.6 |
| Microscopy alone | 11 | 8.2 |
| IIF plus PCR | 5 | 3.7 |
| Microscopy plus IIF plus PCR | 3 | 2.2 |
| PCR alone | 3 | 2.2 |
| Bone marrow aspirate examination alone | 1 | 0.8 |