Point prevalence of asymptomatic Plasmodium infection and the comparison of microscopy, rapid diagnostic test and nested PCR for the diagnosis of asymptomatic malaria among children under 5 years in Ghana

Abstract

Background Plasmodium infection among children is a serious public health problem. Asymptomatic malaria infection among humans serves as a significant reservoir for transmitting Plasmodium to uninfected Anopheles mosquitoes, fueling malaria endemicity and asymptomatic malaria may progress to clinical malaria. Therefore, prompt and accurate diagnosis of malaria infection is crucial for the management and control of malaria, especially in endemic areas. This study assessed the point prevalence of asymptomatic malaria infection and evaluated the performance of malaria Rapid Diagnostic Tests (RDT), light microscopy and nested PCR (nPCR) for the diagnosis of asymptomatic malaria infection in a paediatric population in the Atwima Nwabiagya North district, Ghana. Methods This cross-sectional study enrolled 500 asymptomatic children aged � 5 years. After consent was obtained from a parent, blood samples were collected from each participant to

Assessing Asymptomatic Malaria Carriage of Plasmodium falciparum and Non-falciparum Species in Children Resident in Nkolbisson, Yaoundé, Cameroon

“…Based on the PCR, a high prevalence of 75.0% was observed compared with a similar study carried out in Ghana where a prevalence of 36.8% of asymptomatic Plasmodium infections was observed [26]. A similar prevalence was observed in a study conducted by Dinko et al [32] with a prevalence of 76.6%.…”

“…The prevalence was also higher when compared with other studies conducted in children not in Cameroon. In Ghana, a prevalence of LM of 23.2% and an RDT of 31.2% was observed [26]. This difference may be explained by the fact that the study in Ghana was performed on children under the age of 5 years whereas this study was performed on children aged between 6 months and 10 years; therefore, there could have been a possible gain in protective immunity in the older children because malarial protective immunity is acquired over several years [27].…”

Impact of Malaria Diagnostic Technologies on the Disease Burden in the Sub-Saharan Africa

“…The use of a microscope to detect parasites as an endpoint in malaria vaccine studies is common, while NAAT-based diagnostics are currently being investigated [ 32 ]. Microscopy is a gold standard for evaluating the effectiveness of various diagnostic procedures in use today [ 10 , 15 , 21 , 29 , 31 – 35 ]. Various issues, such as lack of skilled employees and poorly stained smears, limit the accuracy of the technique [ 29 ].…”

“…However, in some areas, the reduction has slowed or even reversed, presumably as a result of the fact that most infected people are rarely diagnosed correctly and receive inadequate treatment [ 1 , 2 ]. The disease's symptoms frequently resemble those of other diseases such as viral dengue fever, leptospirosis, and hepatitis, making precise diagnosis difficult [ 10 , 15 , 21 , 22 ]. Furthermore, rather than using diagnostic tests, febrile individuals are treated based on clinical observations [ 21 , 23 – 25 ].…”

“…Accurate diagnosis and appropriate treatment of Malaria are required for the WHO-set target of eliminating the disease by 2030 to be achieved [ 15 , 22 , 27 ]. To do this, the performance of various diagnostic technologies must be evaluated and validated on a regular basis.…”