RESUMO
In malaria-endemic regions any febrile case is likely to be classified as malaria based on presumptive diagnosis largely caused by a lack of diagnostic resources. A district-wide prevalence study assessing etiologies of fever in 659 patients recruited in rural and semi-urban areas of Bandarban district in southeastern Bangladesh revealed high proportions of seropositivity for selected infectious diseases (leptospirosis, typhoid fever) potentially being misdiagnosed as malaria because of similarities in the clinical presentation. In an area with point prevalences of more than 40% for malaria among fever cases, even higher seroprevalence rates of leptospirosis and typhoid fever provide evidence of a major persistent reservoir of these pathogens.
Assuntos
Dengue/epidemiologia , Reservatórios de Doenças , Doenças Endêmicas , Leptospirose/epidemiologia , Malária/epidemiologia , Febre Tifoide/epidemiologia , Adolescente , Adulto , Idoso , Idoso de 80 Anos ou mais , Bangladesh/epidemiologia , Criança , Pré-Escolar , Coinfecção , Estudos Transversais , Dengue/diagnóstico , Feminino , Humanos , Lactente , Leptospirose/diagnóstico , Malária/diagnóstico , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , População Rural , Estudos Soroepidemiológicos , Febre Tifoide/diagnóstico , Adulto JovemRESUMO
The use of direct nested PCR enables the detection of Plasmodium spp. from blood samples collected on filter papers without requiring the time-consuming procedures associated with DNA extraction. Direct PCR provides a rapid, highly sensitive, and cost-effective alternative to diagnosing malaria using filter paper samples and standard nested PCR.