publications, contact information
Research Interests
My laboratory is primarily interested in emerging pathogens that are transmissible by blood transfusion. While a variety of pathogens can be transmitted by blood transfusion, including viruses and bacteria, our studies are focused on parasites and rickettsial agents. These studies range from comprehensive, multicenter epidemiologic studies to basic science studies conducted at the molecular level. Taken together, the primary goal of our work is to understand the extent to which these emergent agents pose threats to blood safety and to develop approaches to prevent their transmission by transfusion.
The primary agents of interest are Trypanosoma cruzi, the etiologic agent of Chagas’ disease, Babesia microti which causes babesiosis in humans, and Anaplasma phagocytophilum, a rickettsial agent responsible for human granulocytic ehrlichiosis. The latter two share a common vector, the deer tick, which is also responsible for transmitting Lyme disease. Study approaches include serologic surveys, measurements of parasitemia, molecular approaches including real-time PCR, genetic and risk-factor analyses.
While not necessarily an emerging pathogen, Plasmodium spp. does pose a blood safety risk to blood recipients. While transfusion transmitted malaria is rare in the U.S., an unacceptably large number of blood donors (> 100,000) are deferred from blood donation each year, because of a perceived risk of Plasmodium infection. Unfortunately many of these donors are vacation travelers who are unlikely to be infected and pose minimal risk to the blood supply. Epidemiologic studies designed to assess risk in travel deferred donors are in progress, with an eye towards recouping lost blood donors, while ensuring blood safety.
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| Selected Publications [ top ]
Leiby DA , Nguyen ML, Notari EP. Impact of donor deferrals for malaria on blood availability in the United States. Transfusion 2008;48;2222-2228.
Leiby DA , Herron RM, Garratty G, Herwaldt BL. Trypanosoma cruzi parasitemia in U.S. blood donors with serologic evidence of infection. Journal of Infectious Diseases 2008;198:609-613.
Leiby DA , Wendel S. 2008. The Protozoan Parasites. In: Transfusion Microbiology, Barbara JAJ, Regan FAM, Contreras MC (eds), Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp. 117-140.
Stramer SL, Dodd RY, Leiby DA, et al. Blood donor screening for Chagas disease – United States, 2006-2007. MMWR Weekly 2007;56:141-143.
Wendel S, Leiby DA. Parasitic Infections in the Blood Supply: Assessing and Countering the Threat. In, Advances in Transfusion Safety – Volume IV. Dev Biol (Basel), Dax EM, Farrugia A, Vyas G (eds), Karger, Basel 2007;127:17-41.
Leiby DA . Making sense of malaria. Transfusion 2007;47:1573-1577.
Cheng KY, Chang CD, Salbilla V, Kirchhoff LV, Leiby DA, Schochetman G, Shah DO. Immunoblot assay using recombinant antigens as a supplemental test to confirm the presence of antibodies to Trypanosoma cruzi. Clinical and Vaccine Immunology 2007;14:355-361.
Leiby DA . Babesiosis and blood transfusion: flying under the radar. Vox Sanguinis 2006;90:157-165.
Mascola L, Kubak B, Radhakrishna S, Mone T, Hunter R, Leiby DA, Kuehnert M, Moore A, Steurer F, Lawrence G, Kun H. Chagas disease after organ transplantation – Los Angeles, California, 2006. MMWR Weekly 2006;55:789-800.
Chang CD, Cheng KY, Jiang LX, Salbilla VA, Haller AS, Yem AW, Bryant JD, Kirchhoff LV, Leiby DA, Schochetman G, Shah DO. Evaluation of a prototype Trypanosoma cruzi antibody assay with recombinant antigens on a fully automated chemiluminescence analyzer for blood donor screening. Transfusion 2006;46:1737-1744.
Leiby DA, Chung APS, Gill JE, Houghton RL, Persing DH, Badon S, Cable RG. 2005. Demonstrable parasitemia among Connecticut blood donors with antibodies to Babesia microti. Transfusion 2005;45:1804-1810.
Leiby DA. 2005. Emerging Infectious Agents. In Developments in Biologicals, Advances in Transfusion Safety, vol. 120, S. Karger A.G., Basel, pp.11-15.
Allain JP, Bianco C, Blajchman MA, Brecher ME, Busch M, Leiby DA, Lin L, Stramer S. Protecting the blood supply from emerging pathogens: the role of pathogen inactivation. Transfusion Medicine Reviews 2005;19:110-126.
Dodd RY, Leiby DA. Emerging Infectious Threats to the Blood Supply, Annual Review of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA, 2004;55:191-207.
Leiby DA , Gill JE. Transfusion-transmitted tick-borne infections: a cornucopia threats. Transfusion Medicine Reviews 2004;18:293-306.
Leiby DA. 2003.Babesia and Other Parasites. In: Bacterial and Parasitic Contamination of Blood Products, M.E. Brecher (ed.), American Association of Blood Banks, Bethesda, MD, pp. 179-200.
Cable RG, Leiby DA. Risk and prevention of transfusion-transmitted babesiosis and other tick-borne diseases. Current Opinion in Hematology 2003;10:405-411.
Leiby DA. Chlamydia pneumoniae: another agent added to the growing list of transfusion-transmitted pathogens? Transfusion 2003;43:552-555.
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