ArticleAnnals of clinical microbiology and antimicrobials2018
Quality control of malaria microscopy reveals misdiagnosed non-falciparum species and other microscopically detectable pathogens in Senegal.
Article in Annals of clinical microbiology and antimicrobials, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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14 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Misidentification of Plasmodium ovale as Plasmodium vivax malaria by a microscopic method: a meta-analysis of confirmed P. ovale cases.Scientific reports · 2020Pooled it
- Malaria misdiagnosis among febrile patients in Senegal: implications for the underestimation of Plasmodium species diversity and malaria burden.Malaria journal · 2026Article
- Diagnostic Accuracy of Utilizing Artificial Intelligence for Malaria Diagnostic: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Infectious disease reports · 2026Review
- Common Molecular Detection of the Neglected Human Malaria Parasite Among Febrile Patients in Southern Regions in Senegal.Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- DifferentialMicrobiology spectrum · 2025Article
- Variable effects of non-falciparum species infections on malaria disease severity in high transmission regions in Senegal.Tropical medicine and health · 2024Article
- Circulation of Non-Open forum infectious diseases · 2024Article
- Quality assessment of malaria microscopic diagnosis at the Aristide Le Dantec University Hospital of Dakar, Senegal, in 2020.BMC research notes · 2024Article
- Unravelling the quality of malaria microscopy across Kinshasa, DR Congo.MalariaWorld journal · 2024Article
- Molecular detection and quantification ofFrontiers in parasitology · 2023Article
- Significance of nested PCR testing for the detection of low-density malaria infection amongst febrile patients from the Malaria Elimination Demonstration Project in Mandla, Madhya Pradesh, India.Malaria journal · 2022Article
- Comparison of polymerase chain reaction, microscopy, and rapid diagnostic test in malaria detection in a high burden state (Odisha) of India.Pathogens and global health · 2021Article
- Diagnostic Methods for Non-Falciparum Malaria.Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology · 2021Review
- Article
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10 authors.
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Abstract
backgroundIn developing countries, malaria diagnosis relies on microscopy and rapid diagnostic tests. In Senegal, national malaria control program (NMCP) regularly conducts supervisory visits in health services where malaria microscopy is performed. In this study, expert microscopists assessed the performance of laboratory technicians in malaria microscopy.
methodsThe present external quality assessment (EQA) was conducted in three different areas of malaria transmission. Participants were laboratory technicians previously trained by NMCP on malaria microscopy. Stored read slides were randomly collected for blinded re-checking by expert microscopists. At the same time a set of 8 slides (3 positive P. falciparum and 5 negative slides) were submitted to participants for proficiency testing. Microscopists performance were evaluated on the basis of the errors rates on slide reading-high false positive (HFP), high false negative (HFN), low false positive (LFP) and low false negative (LFN)-and the calculation of their sensitivities and specificities relative to expert microscopy. Data were entered and analysed using Microsoft Excel software.
resultsA total of 450 stored slides were collected from 17 laboratories for re-checking. Eight laboratories scored 100% of correct reading. Only one major error was recorded (HFP). Six laboratories recorded LFN results: Borrelia, P. ovale, and low parasite densities (95 and 155 p/μl) were missed. Two P. falciparum slides were misidentified as P. malariae and one P. ovale slide as P. vivax. The overall sensitivities and specificities for all participants against expert microscopists were 97.8 and 98.2% respectively; Sensitivities and specificities of hospital microscopists (96.7 and 98.9%) were statistically similar to those of health centre microscopists (98.5 and 97.8% respectively) (p = 0.3993 and p = 0.9412 respectively). Overall, a very good agreement was noted with kappa value of 0.96 (CI
conclusionEQA of malaria microscopy showed an overall good performance especially regarding P. falciparum detection. However, efforts need to be made addressing the ability to detect non-falciparum species and others endemic blood pathogens such as Borrelia. The further NMCP training sessions and evaluations should consider those aspects to expect high quality-assured capacity for malaria microscopy.
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