{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,3]],"date-time":"2026-06-03T02:30:22Z","timestamp":1780453822408,"version":"3.54.1"},"update-to":[{"DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pntd.0014378","type":"new_version","label":"New version","source":"publisher","updated":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,29]],"date-time":"2026-05-29T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1780012800000}}],"reference-count":45,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"5","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,26]],"date-time":"2026-05-26T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1779753600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.plosntds.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLoS Negl Trop Dis"],"abstract":"<jats:sec id=\"sec001\">\n                    <jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      Blood supply is a public health challenge in African countries. In Cameroon, blood selection guidelines focus on four viral and bacterial pathogens (HIV, hepatitis B and C viruses,\n                      <jats:italic>Treponema pallidum<\/jats:italic>\n                      ) associated with transfusion-transmitted infections (TTIs). Other pathogens, often endemic (e.g.,\n                      <jats:italic>Plasmodium<\/jats:italic>\n                      spp.), are not routinely screened in blood banks and are not included in blood safety guidelines or surveillance, despite their potential for transfusion transmission.\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec id=\"sec002\">\n                    <jats:title>Materials and Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      Here, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of prevalence, determinants, and clinical impact of \u2018neglected\u2019 pathogens, defined as pathogens not included in national blood safety guidelines (e.g., filaria, dengue virus,\n                      <jats:italic>Toxoplasma gondii<\/jats:italic>\n                      ), in blood banks. Additionally, we identified the most urgent challenges and proposed actionable solutions to guide blood safety guidelines in the country.\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec id=\"sec003\">\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      A total of 18 studies, covering ~12,500 donations, were included, with the bulk coming from donors living in three regions (Littoral, Northwest, Centre).\n                      <jats:italic>Plasmodium<\/jats:italic>\n                      parasite (68.4%) was the major studied pathogen, even though an evident publication bias was found (\n                      <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u2009=\u20090.004). The other pathogens included dengue virus (5.3%),\n                      <jats:italic>T. gondii<\/jats:italic>\n                      (5.3%), and HTLV-1 (5.3%). The filarial parasite\n                      <jats:italic>Loa loa<\/jats:italic>\n                      was consistently accidentally found. Even though there is no evidence of SARS-CoV-2-associated TTIs till now, the pooled proportion of this virus was 17.7%. The pooled proportions of infection in blood donors were 16.6% for\n                      <jats:italic>Plasmodium<\/jats:italic>\n                      spp. and 0.5% for\n                      <jats:italic>Loa loa<\/jats:italic>\n                      . There is a paucity of clinical impact studies on these \u2018neglected\u2019 TTIs, and the available literature suggests impaired levels of immunoglobulin E and albumin. We identified urgent challenges, including awareness among healthcare providers and policymakers, diagnostic and logistical constraints, and low microbial density infections, associated with neglected pathogen-related blood safety.\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec id=\"sec004\">\n                    <jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>We opine that providing more epidemiological evidence is crucial to address the above-mentioned challenges for guiding and guaranteeing blood safety in Cameroon.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pntd.0014378","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,26]],"date-time":"2026-05-26T17:39:55Z","timestamp":1779817195000},"page":"e0014378","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pntd.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Burden and clinical impact of \u2018neglected\u2019 transfusion-transmitted infections in Cameroon: A systematic review and meta-analysis"],"prefix":"10.1371","volume":"20","author":[{"given":"Megane D.","family":"Malieuze Nanfah","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ver\u00f3nica M.","family":"Binam Nkot","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Michel M.","family":"Yop Kite","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Sandrine S.","family":"Beack Bayengue","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Gertrude Bsadjo","family":"Tchamba","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Alphonse G.","family":"Tandja","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Brice L.","family":"Koloko","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Elodie T.","family":"Ngo Malabo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Judith G. 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