Reticulocyte Count Of Nigerian Children With Malaria Infection In The University Of Calabar Teaching Hospital.

ABSTRACT

Abstracts Background: This work was sets out to assess the reticulocyte count of Nigerian Children infected with malaria in the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, comprising of fifty malaria infected children and forty six apparently healthy children. The malaria infected children comprised of 25 males and 25 females aged 1-10 years. Blood samples were collected and analysed for reticulocyte count using the 1% new Methylene Blue supra vital staining method and malaria parasites using, 2% Giemsa stain. The mean reticulocyte count in the malaria infected children (2. 17 ± 0.3%) was significantly higher (P<0.01) than that in the apparently healthy children (1.03 ± 0.3 %). The mean parasites density in infected children was 30,428.76 ± 11,876.85 ul. A comparism of reticulocyte level of infected male (2.204 ± 0.32%) and female children (2.133 ± 0.3 6%) showed no significant difference (p>O.O5). Equally, the reticulocyte levels of infected children between 1-5 years of age (2.1 5 ± 0.34%) was not significantly different (P> 0.05) from that of children aged between 6-10 years (2.18 ± 0.32%). The level of reticulocytosis is a reflection of parasite density in the malaria infected children.