Accuracy and reliability of malaria diagnostic techniques for guiding febrile outpatient treatment in malaria-endemic countries.
The main purpose of this study was to assess the accuracy of various techniques available for diagnosis of malaria. Blood samples were collected from 313 patients with clinical suspicion of uncomplicated malaria in 2 primary health centers in Madagascar. The presence of Plasmodium parasites was assessed by conventional microscopy, 2 rapid diagnostic tests (one HRP2-based test, PALUTOP(+4), and one pLDH-based test, OptiMAL-IT), and real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR), which is used as the "gold standard" method. The degree of agreement observed was very high for microscopy (0.99) and the HRP2-based test (0.93) and high for the pLDH-based test (0.82). Public-health implications are also discussed in this paper.
Rakotonirina
Hanitra
H
Malaria Unit Research, Institut Pasteur de Madagascar, BP 1274, Antananarivo 101, Madagascar.
Barnadas
Céline
C
Raherijafy
Rogelin
R
Andrianantenaina
Hery
H
Ratsimbasoa
Arsène
A
Randrianasolo
Laurence
L
Jahevitra
Martial
M
Andriantsoanirina
Valérie
V
Ménard
Didier
D
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000818:Animals; D000953:Antigens, Protozoan / Q000097:blood; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D019353:Endemic Diseases; D005260:Female; D005334:Fever / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D007118:Immunoassay / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards; D007223:Infant; D008270:Madagascar; D008288:Malaria / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000469:parasitology; D008297:Male; D008853:Microscopy / Q000592:standards; D008875:Middle Aged; D018512:Parasitemia / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000469:parasitology; D010961:Plasmodium / Q000145:classification / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D015203:Reproducibility of Results
D000953:Antigens, Protozoan