Estimation of parasitaemia in imported falciparum malaria using the results of a combined rapid diagnostic test. No big help from haematological parameters

© 2023. The Author(s)..

BACKGROUND: Microscopy continues to be the mainstay for the evaluation of parasitaemia in malaria but requires laboratory support and microbiological experience. Other fast and simple methods are necessary.

METHODS: A retrospective observational study of imported malaria treated from July-2007 to December-2020 was carried out to evaluate the association between the degree of parasitaemia and both rapid diagnostic tests (RDT) reactivity patterns and haematological parameters. Plasmodium falciparum monoinfections diagnosed by peripheral blood smear and/or polymerase chain reaction (PCR),which also had a positive RDT result in the same blood sample, were included in the study.

RESULTS: A total of 273 patients were included. Most of them were male (n = 256; 93.8%) and visiting friends and relatives (VFR) travellers (n = 252; 92.3%). Patients with plasmodial lactate dehydrogenase (pLDH) or aldolase and histidine-rich protein 2 (HRP-2) co-reactivity (Pan/Pf pattern) had a parasitaemia range between 0 and 37% while those with just HRP-2 reactivity (P. falciparum pattern) had ranges between 0 and 1%. Not a single case of P. falciparum pattern was found for parasitaemia ranges greater than 1%, showing a negative predictive value of 100% for high parasitaemia. All the correlations between haematological parameters and parasitaemia resulted to be weak, with a maximum rho coefficient of -0.35 for lymphocytes and platelets, and of 0.40 for neutrophils-to-lymphocytes count ratio. Multivariate predictive models were constructed reflecting a poor predictive capacity.

CONCLUSIONS: The reactivity pattern of RDT allows a rapid semi-quantitative assessment of P. falciparum parasitaemia in travellers with imported malaria, discriminating patients with lower parasite loads. Haematological parameters were not able to estimate parasitaemia with sufficient precision.

Medienart:

E-Artikel

Erscheinungsjahr:

2023

Erschienen:

2023

Enthalten in:

Zur Gesamtaufnahme - volume:22

Enthalten in:

Malaria journal - 22(2023), 1 vom: 16. Nov., Seite 351

Sprache:

Englisch

Beteiligte Personen:

Soriano-Pérez, Manuel Jesús [VerfasserIn]
Castillo-Fernández, Nerea [VerfasserIn]
Lozano-Serrano, Ana Belén [VerfasserIn]
Luzón-García, María Pilar [VerfasserIn]
Vázquez-Villegas, José [VerfasserIn]
Cabeza-Barrera, María Isabel [VerfasserIn]
Borrego-Jiménez, Jaime [VerfasserIn]
Giménez-López, María José [VerfasserIn]
Salas-Coronas, Joaquín [VerfasserIn]

Links:

Volltext

Themen:

Antigens, Protozoan
Imported disease
Journal Article
Malaria
Migrants
Observational Study
Protozoan Proteins
Rapid diagnostic test
Reagent Kits, Diagnostic
Traveller

Anmerkungen:

Date Completed 27.11.2023

Date Revised 27.11.2023

published: Electronic

Citation Status MEDLINE

doi:

10.1186/s12936-023-04781-2

funding:

Förderinstitution / Projekttitel:

PPN (Katalog-ID):

NLM364658169