Transfusion-Transmitted Infections

Dear Colleagues,

Significant progress in transfusion medicine over the past 40 years has led to the enhancement of blood safety. Numerous mitigation strategies have been implemented over time to reduce the risks associated with transfusion-transmitted infections (TTIs). These strategies range from addressing the risk of hepatitis B virus TTI and other known blood-borne agents to responding to the emergence of human immunodeficiency virus and other vector-borne pathogens with global impacts. Additionally, they encompass recognizing the risk linked to bacterial contamination of blood components.

New strategies for recruiting blood donors, donor selection, blood screening using serology- and molecular-based assays, platelet bacterial culture-based screening, and pathogen reduction technologies have been progressively introduced to minimize the risk of TTIs to less than one in a million units for most agents in various countries. However, maintaining blood safety remains an ongoing challenge, particularly in resource-limited environments. This challenge is amplified by emerging infectious diseases (EIDs), human travel, and vector expansion, further compounded by climate change’s effects.

This project aims to develop a Pathogens issue that comprehensively covers the primary challenges and mitigation strategies for reducing the global risk of TTIs. Submissions should adhere to the following criteria: (a) authorship should involve senior authors alongside their mentees or new investigators; (b) publications should focus on the risk of TTIs associated with key pathogens in specific geographic areas, evaluating risks on both local and global levels; and (c) papers should present a historical perspective on the challenges regarding blood safety tied to a specific pathogen, along with the mitigation strategies employed to uphold or improve blood safety.

This Special Issue will concentrate on elucidating the biology of the agent (classification, structure, and transmission cycle), global or regional disease burdens (depicted through endemic area maps), epidemiological considerations (modes of transmission in the human population, transmission risk rates through transfusion, residual risk—if known— and post-implementation of mitigation strategies). Several sections are envisioned, addressing risks related to bacteria, retroviruses, arboviruses, hepatitis viruses, herpes viruses transmission or reactivation (especially for immunosuppressed patients), parasites, entomology, and vector distribution for risk modelling in the context of climate change, screening tests, pathogen reduction technologies, the contribution of blood donors and blood bank resources to public health surveillance, and finally, lessons learned from the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 for EID preparedness efforts.

This Special Issue will interest experts in transfusion medicine, who are presented with the opportunity to share up-to-date information through mentoring junior faculty while raising awareness about the challenges impacting blood safety among individuals who are not experts in the field of transfusion medicine.

Dr. Silvano Wendel
Dr. Marion Lanteri
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Pathogens is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.