ArticleParasites & vectors2024
Real-time PCR for malaria diagnosis and identification of Plasmodium species in febrile patients in Cubal, Angola.
Article in Parasites & vectors, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers.
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8 citing papers in PubMed.
- From silent infection to symptomatic malaria: host phenomic determinants of Plasmodium falciparum outcomes in Fanteakwa South District, Ghana.Malaria journal · 2026Article
- Molecular markers of antimalarial drug resistance in pfk13, pfmdr1, pfdhfr, and pfdhps genes of Plasmodium falciparum in a rural municipality in Cubal, Benguela Province, Angola (2022-2023).Malaria journal · 2026Article
- Mixed malaria infections: A critical review and Detect-Characterise-Act surveillance framework.Current research in parasitology & vector-borne diseases · 2026Review
- Analysis of pfhrp2 and pfhrp3 gene deletions, and the structure and variability of PfHRP2 and PfHRP3 proteins: implications for the performance of malaria rapid diagnostic tests in Cubal, Angola.Malaria journal · 2025Article
- Characterization ofInsects · 2025Article
- Global trends and burdens of neglected tropical diseases and malaria from 1990 to 2021: a systematic analysis of the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021.BMC public health · 2025Article
- Evaluation of dried blood spot sampling for real-time PCR malaria diagnostics in a rural setting in Angola.Parasites & vectors · 2025Article
- The risks of exclusive reliance on rapid diagnostic tests for malaria in Angola.The Pan African medical journal · 2025Article
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18 authors.
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Abstract
backgroundMalaria is the parasitic disease with the highest morbimortality worldwide. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that there were approximately 249 million cases in 2022, of which 3.4% were in Angola. Diagnosis is based on parasite identification by microscopy examination, antigen detection, and/or molecular tests, such as polymerase chain reaction (PCR). This study aimed to evaluate the usefulness of real-time PCR as a diagnostic method for malaria in an endemic area (Cubal, Angola).
methodsA cross-sectional study was carried out at the Hospital Nossa Senhora da Paz in Cubal, Angola, including 200 patients who consulted for febrile syndrome between May and July 2022. From each patient, a capillary blood sample was obtained by finger prick for malaria field diagnosis [microscopy and rapid diagnostic test (RDT)] and venous blood sample for real-time PCR performed at the Hospital Universitario Vall d'Hebron in Barcelona, Spain. Any participant with a positive result from at least one of these three methods was diagnosed with malaria.
resultsOf the 200 participants included, 54% were female and the median age was 7 years. Malaria was diagnosed by at least one of the three techniques (microscopy, RDT, and/or real-time PCR) in 58% of the participants, with RDT having the highest percentage of positivity (49%), followed by real-time PCR (39.5%) and microscopy (33.5%). Of the 61 discordant samples, 4 were only positive by microscopy, 13 by real-time PCR, and 26 by RDT. Plasmodium falciparum was the most frequent species detected (90.63%), followed by P. malariae (17.19%) and P. ovale (9.38%). Coinfections were detected in ten participants (15.63%): six (60%) were caused by P. falciparum and P. malariae, three (30%) by P. falciparum and P. ovale, and one (10%) triple infection with these three species. In addition, it was observed that P. falciparum and P. malariae coinfection significantly increased the parasite density of the latter.
conclusionsRDT was the technique with the highest positivity rate, followed by real-time PCR and microscopy. The results of the real-time PCR may have been underestimated due to suboptimal storage conditions during the transportation of the DNA eluates. However, real-time PCR techniques have an important role in the surveillance of circulating Plasmodium species, given the epidemiological importance of the increase in non-falciparum species in the country, and can provide an estimate of the intensity of infection.
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