title: Comparison of the complement fixation, indirect immunofluorescence, and indirect hemagglutination tests for malaria.
abstract: The complement fixation (CF), indirect immunofluorescence (IIF), and indirect hemagglutination (IHA)tests for malaria were compared by using sera from U.S. citizens with either natural infections or heroin-associated, needle-induced infections. In natural Plasmodium vivax infections, the CF, IIF, and IHA tests apparently detect malarial antibodies equally efficiently for the first 2 months after the onset of symptoms, but the titers obtained by CF and IIF rapidly decline within a year, while the IHA titers remain elevated. In the sera from heroin addicts who developed needle-induced P. vivax infections, sensitivities of all three tests were decreased: the IIF and IHA tests each detected 83%, but the CF test detected only 57.1%. False-positive reactions with this group were very high for the CF (76.6%) and IHA (15.9%) tests, but only 2% for IIF.
mesh_terms: D000906:Antibodies / Q000302:isolation & purification; D003168:Complement Fixation Tests; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D006386:Hemagglutination Tests; D006556:Heroin Dependence / Q000150:complications; D006801:Humans; D007275:Injections, Intravenous / Q000009:adverse effects; D008288:Malaria / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000276:immunology* / Q000635:transmission; D008887:Military Medicine; D010961:Plasmodium / Q000302:isolation & purification; D014481:United States; D014744:Vietnam
chemical_list: D000906:Antibodies