RESUMEN
Rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) for Plasmodium falciparum commonly detect histidine-rich protein 2 (HRP-2), but HRP-2 deletions are increasingly recognized. We evaluated a prototype test detecting parasite lactate dehydrogenase (pLDH) and compared it to commercially available RDTs at a health facility in Uganda, using quantitative polymerase chain reaction as a gold standard. The prototype pLDH test had a high sensitivity for infections with at least 100 parasites/µL (98%), comparable to HRP-2, and greater than an existing pLDH RDT (89%). Specificity for the prototype test was 99.5%, which is greater than the HRP-2 tests (93-95%). Therefore, the prototype pLDH test may be an attractive alternative malaria diagnostic.
Asunto(s)
Malaria Falciparum , Malaria , Antígenos de Protozoos/análisis , Pruebas Diagnósticas de Rutina , Humanos , L-Lactato Deshidrogenasa/análisis , Malaria/diagnóstico , Malaria Falciparum/diagnóstico , Malaria Falciparum/parasitología , Microscopía , Plasmodium falciparum , Reacción en Cadena de la Polimerasa , Proteínas Protozoarias/genética , Proteínas Protozoarias/metabolismo , Sensibilidad y Especificidad , UgandaRESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Plasmodium falciparum is responsible for the vast majority of (severe) clinical malaria cases in most African settings. Other Plasmodium species often go undiagnosed but may still have clinical consequences. CASE PRESENTATION: Here, five cases of Plasmodium malariae infections from Eastern Uganda (aged 2-39 years) are presented. These infections were all initially mistaken for P. falciparum, but Plasmodium schizonts (up to 2080/µL) were identified by microscopy. Clinical signs included history of fever and mild anaemia. CONCLUSION: These findings highlight the importance of considering non-falciparum species as the cause of clinical malaria. In areas of intense P. falciparum transmission, where rapid diagnostic tests that detect only P. falciparum antigens are commonly used, non-falciparum malaria cases may be missed.
