Abstract:
Transfusion-transmitted malaria (TTM) in neonates is rare. TTM can
occur in both endemic and nonendemic areas because the current
tests used to screen the donor blood for malaria are unreliable when
there is low parasitemia. Malaria must be considered as an impor-
tant differential diagnosis for neonatal sepsis after exchange trans-
fusion. Management strategy in TTM in the neonatal period is not
standardized; exchange transfusion is often considered. We used in-
travenous artesunate in a case of severe malaria caused by Plasmo-
dium vivax in a 30-week preterm neonate after packed red blood cell
transfusion on day 19 of life. This is the first clinical report of par-
enteral artesunate successfully used in the neonatal period. We em-
phasize the need for further investigation of the safety and efficacy of
intravenous artesunate in the treatment of severe neonatal malaria.
