title: Transfusion-Transmitted Malaria in Iran: A Narrative Review Article.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Malaria is the most important transfusion-transmitted infection (TTI) in worldwide after viral hepatitis and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. The main objective of the present study was to review and evaluate the transmission of malaria via blood transfusion in Iran.
  
  
  METHODS
  A literature search was done without time limitation in the electronic databases as follows: PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, Web of Science, Science Direct, scientific information database (SID), Magiran, IranMedex and Irandoc. The searches were limited to the published papers to English and Persian languages.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Six papers were eligible. From 1963 to 1983, 344 cases of Transfusion-transmitted malaria (TTM) had been reported from different provinces of Iran. The most prevalent species of involvedPlasmodiumin investigated cases of TTM wasPlasmodium malariae(79.24%). The screening results of 1,135 blood donors for malaria were negative by microscopic examination of peripheral blood smears and rapid diagnostic test (RDT) methods.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Lack of TTM report from Iran in the last three decades indicates that the screening of blood donors through interviewing (donor selection) may be effective in the prevention of the occurrence of transfusion-transmitted malaria.
authors.affiliation: Blood Transfusion Research Center, High Institute for Research and Education in Transfusion Medicine, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Ahmad
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mardani
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Parasitology and Mycology, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; Center for Research of Endemic Parasites of Iran, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Hossein
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Keshavarz
authors.affiliation: Blood Transfusion Research Center, High Institute for Research and Education in Transfusion Medicine, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Ali Akbar
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Pourfathollah
authors.affiliation: Blood Transfusion Research Center, High Institute for Research and Education in Transfusion Medicine, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Mahtab
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Maghsudlu
keywords: Blood transfusion; Donors; Iran; Screening; Transfusion-transmitted malaria