Effectiveness of Malaria Antibody Test for Screening Blood Donors
10.17945/kjbt.2023.34.1.2 1
- Author:
Jungwon KANG
1
;
Jaehyun KIM
;
Jaesook LEE
;
Deuk Yeong KO
;
Hwang Min KIM
;
Kyoung Young CHOI
Author Information
1. Blood Transfusion Research Institute, Korean Red Cross, Wonju, Korea
- Publication Type:Short Report
- From:Korean Journal of Blood Transfusion
2023;34(1):21-25
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:English
-
Abstract:
The Republic of Korea has been using malaria antibody assays to screen blood donors and reduce the risk of transfusion-transmitted malaria (TTM). This study examined the effectiveness of the current malaria antibody test for screening blood donors and calculated the positive predictive value (PPV) with the real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) as the reference. The reactive rate and PPV of the malaria antibody screening assay during particular period from 2020 to 2021 were 0.82% (248/30,309) and 0.40% (1/248), respectively. The low PPV of current malaria antibody screening in blood donors suggests that the effectiveness of this test is limited in terms of balancing blood safety and supply in low-prevalence situations.
