Performance of OptiMAL® in the diagnosis of Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium falciparum infections in a malaria referral center in Colombia
Mem. Inst. Oswaldo Cruz
;
97(5): 731-735, July 2002. tab
Article
in English
| LILACS
| ID: lil-321202
ABSTRACT
Alternative, non-microscopic methods for the diagnosis of malaria have recently become available. Among these, rapid dipstick methods stand out. One such test, OptiMAL®, is based on the immunochromatographic detection of Plasmodium lactate dehydrogenase (pLDH) and has the capacity to detect and distinguish infections caused by P. falciparum and Plasmodium sp. This capacity is particularly important in countries where different species of Plasmodium co-exist. In this study we evaluated the performance of OptiMAL® in an urban referral center for malaria diagnosis. Two sets of patients were included one (n = 112) having predetermined infections with P. falciparum or P. vivax and individuals with negative blood smears; and another consisting of all eligible consecutive patients (n = 80) consulting for diagnosis at the referral center during one month. The overall diagnostic efficiency of OptiMAL® for both sets of patients was 96.9 percent. Efficiency was higher for P. vivax (98.1 percent) than for P. falciparum (94.9 percent). These results corroborate the diagnostic utility of OptiMAL® in settings where P. vivax and P. falciparum co-exist and support its implementation where microscopic diagnosis is unavailable and in circumstances that exceed the capacity of the local microscopic diagnosis facility
Full text:
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Index:
LILACS (Americas)
Main subject:
Plasmodium falciparum
/
Plasmodium vivax
/
Malaria, Vivax
/
Malaria, Falciparum
/
L-Lactate Dehydrogenase
Type of study:
Diagnostic study
Limits:
Animals
/
Humans
Country/Region as subject:
South America
/
Colombia
Language:
English
Journal:
Mem. Inst. Oswaldo Cruz
Journal subject:
Tropical Medicine
/
Parasitology
Year:
2002
Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Colombia
Institution/Affiliation country:
Centro Internacional de Entrenamiento e Investigaciones Médicas/CO
/
Universidad del Valle/CO
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