New Transfusion Podcast Examines Molecular Test for Malaria Detection in Blood Donors

Investigators from Vitalant Research Institute joined the latest episode of the Transfusion Monthly Podcast to discuss the development of a molecular assay for detecting Plasmodium in blood donors.

In their conversation with host Yara Park, MD, Pamela Milani, PhD; and Michael P. Busch, MD, PhD, explored findings from their recent study, which described the design and analytical validation of a pan-Plasmodium assay intended as a confirmatory tool for donor screening.

The assay targets a conserved region of ribosomal RNA shared by all five human-infecting Plasmodium species, allowing both high analytical sensitivity and species-level identification. Rather than serving as an initial screen, it functions as an orthogonal confirmatory method for evaluating reactive donations and informing donor reentry decisions.

Milani and Busch also spoke about the assay's application to samples from endemic regions, its role in studying persistent low-level parasitemia among donors with prior residence in or travel to malaria-endemic areas, and their plans to adapt it into a fully automated laboratory-developed test.