title: Serological screening for Leishmania infantum in asymptomatic blood donors living in an endemic area (Sicily, Italy).
abstract: The purpose of our study was to assess whether Leishmania infantum parasitemia occurs in asymptomatic Leishmania-seropositive subjects. Samples from 500 blood donors were tested using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Anti-Leishmania antibodies were not found in any sample. Our findings suggest that the risk of L. infantum transmission by blood transfusion in Sicily is very low.
authors.affiliation: Istituto di Patologia Infettiva e Virologia, Università di Palermo, piazza Montalto 8, 90134 Palermo, Italy. claudia.colomba@libero.it
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Colomba
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Saporito
authors.forename: Valentina Frasca
authors.initials: VF
authors.lastname: Polara
authors.forename: Teresa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Barone
authors.forename: Antonino
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Corrao
authors.forename: Lucina
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Titone
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology; D001782:Blood Donors; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D018314:Leishmania infantum / Q000276:immunology*; D007898:Leishmaniasis, Visceral / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology / Q000635:transmission
chemical_list: D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan