title: Comparison of Parascreen Pan/Pf, Paracheck Pf and light microscopy for detection of malaria among febrile patients, Northwest Ethiopia.
abstract: Two malaria rapid diagnostic tests (RDT), Parascreen Pan/Pf and Paracheck Pf, were tested in rural health centres in Ethiopia against independent expert microscopy (the gold standard). Participants (n =1997) presented with presumptive malaria to ten health centers in Amhara Regional State during the 2007 peak malaria season (October to December). By microscopy, 475 (23.8%) suspected malaria cases were positive, of which 57.7% were P. falciparum; 24.6% P. vivax and 17.7% mixed infections. Parascreen and Paracheck were positive for 442 (22.1%) and 277 (13.9%) febrile patients, respectively. For Parascreen, P. falciparum sensitivity was 79.6%, specificity 97.4%, positive predictive value (PPV) 86.9%, and negative predictive value (NPV) 95.6%. For Parascreen, P. vivax sensitivity was 74.4%, specificity 98.6%, PPV 76.3% and NPV 98.4%. For Paracheck, P. falciparum sensitivity was 73.7%, specificity 99.2%, PPV 95.3%, NPV 94.5%. Sensitivity was significantly higher for both tests (P<0.05) when parasite density was >100/microl of blood; in these cases Parascreen was 90.7% and 91.5% sensitive for P. falciparum and P. vivax, respectively, while Paracheck was 87.9% sensitive for P. falciparum. Parascreen thus performed adequately for both P. falciparum and P. vivax compared to expert microscopy and is more useful than Paracheck where microscopy is unavailable.
authors.affiliation: The Carter Center, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
authors.forename: Tekola
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Endeshaw
authors.forename: Patricia M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Graves
authors.forename: Estifanos Biru
authors.initials: EB
authors.lastname: Shargie
authors.forename: Teshome
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Gebre
authors.forename: Berhan
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ayele
authors.forename: Gideon
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Yohannes
authors.forename: Mulat
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zerihun
authors.forename: Asrat
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Genet
authors.forename: Berhanu
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Melak
authors.forename: Amha
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kebede
authors.forename: Daddi
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Jima
authors.forename: Zerihun
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Tadesse
authors.forename: Jeremiah
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ngondi
authors.forename: Aryc W
authors.initials: AW
authors.lastname: Mosher
authors.forename: Frank O
authors.initials: FO
authors.lastname: Richards
authors.forename: Paul M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Emerson
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D002648:Child; D005002:Ethiopia / Q000453:epidemiology; D005334:Fever / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D016778:Malaria, Falciparum / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D008853:Microscopy / Q000379:methods*; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011933:Reagent Kits, Diagnostic; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
chemical_list: D011933:Reagent Kits, Diagnostic