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Transfusion-transmitted malaria is a risk in malaria-endemic regions, where half of blood donors may be parasitemic. The Mirasol pathogen-reduction system (Terumo BCT) uses ultraviolet light and riboflavin to reduce pathogen load, including Plasmodium falciparum parasites, in vitro. Investigators have now assessed the efficacy and safety of this system in an industry-supported, randomized, double-blind trial at a teaching hospital in Ghana.
A total of 223 hospitalized adults requiring up to 2 whole blood units received either treated (pathogen-reduced) or untreated blood and were followed for 28 days. All transfused blood was screened for HIV, hepatitis B and C, and syphilis. Before transfusion, the prevalence of parasitemia was 23% in patie…