Use of the Parasight-F diagnostic test for imported malaria in a travel clinic.

Abstract

Abstract. The Parasight-F test based on the detection of a soluble antigen specific for Plasmodium falciparum is designed for the immediate diagnosis of malaria infection. We evaluated its use by clinicians during consultations. This prospective study of its diagnostic utility in febrile patients consulting a travel clinic on their return from areas endemic for malaria was conducted between May 1996 and May 1997. The Parasight-F test was performed by the clinician with confirmation by means of standard microscopic examination of venous blood. One-hundred and forty patients were enrolled. Forty-three (31%) cases of malaria were identified by microscopic examination. Thirty-eight were due to P. falciparum. The Parasight-F tests yielded 6 false-positive and 3 false-negative results compared to the microscopic findings. The specificity and sensitivity for the diagnosis of P. falciparum malaria were 94% and 92%. These results show that the Parasight-F test alone cannot replace microscopic diagnosis of malaria in travel clinics.

Palaeoparasitology and palaeogenetics: review and perspectives for the study of ancient human parasites

“…(Miller et al 1994;Cerutti et al 1999) in Egyptian and Sudanese mummies (4150 years BP) has been reported with up to 35-40% positivity for malaria. In these cases, however, unspecific reactions of the antibodies used in the test have raised questions about the reality of the recovered frequencies of the disease (Bouchaud et al 2000). The sole detection of a helminth using immunological techniques was reported by Deelder et al (1990), with the detection using ELISA of S. haematobium from an Egyptian mummy dated to 5150 years BP.…”

The relation between concentration of the proinflamatory cytokines in serum and clinical, parasitological and hematological changes during the imported malaria

“…Prema dosadašnjim kliničkim ispitivanjima, senzitivnost testa je iznosila od 86.7% do 93.4%, a specifičnost od 98.2% do 99.3%. Tehnika PCR je senzitivna (više od 90%) i visoko specifična (100%), ali se uglavnom ne koristi u rutinskoj, kliničkoj dijagnostici, već prevashodno u istraživačke svrhe (33,34,35).…”