Malaria transmission via needle stick injury
Abstract:
We present the case of an 11-year-old boy with severe Plasmodium falciparum malaria, whose attending doctor sustained a needle stick injury (NSI) during phlebotomy. We also report the findings of a systematic literature review of papers describing malaria transmission to healthcare professionals via sharps injuries or blood spillage. In total, we identified 22 case reports published in peer-reviewed journals over the last 55 years, comprising 15 publications where malaria was transmitted via an NSI, 1 publication in which the infection was transmitted via a broken glass test tube, and 6 where the transmission appears to have occurred via spillage of malaria-infested blood onto the hands of a healthcare professional alone. In addition, we discuss potential management options for NSIs in the context of malaria.
Reference:
Malek M, Rothensteiner M, Rumelhart F, Ulrich P, Heimbach-Weber Y, Baier-Grabner S, Schwarz-Wissel T, Kipp-Urlicic S, Zacharasiewicz A, Götzinger F, Tebruegge M. Malaria Transmission Via Needle Stick Injury: A Case Report and Systematic Review of the Literature. Pediatr Infect Dis J. 2026 Aug 17. doi: 10.1097/INF.0000000000005376. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 42604975.