ArticleBMC infectious diseases2024
Comparative assessment of microscopy, malaria rapid diagnostic test and polymerase chain reaction as malaria diagnostic tools in Adama Woreda, East shoa zone of Ethiopia: a cross-sectional study.
Article in BMC infectious diseases, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
14 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Prevalence of malaria and its major parasite species in Bangladesh: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Malaria journal · 2026Pooled it
- Prevalence and associated factors of microscopy-confirmed malaria among the general population in Ethiopia: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Malaria journal · 2026Pooled it
- Performance of rapid diagnostic tests, microscopy, loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) and PCR for malaria diagnosis in Ethiopia: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Malaria journal · 2021Pooled it
- Peptide-Enabled Nanoplatforms for Malaria and Leishmaniasis: From Intracellular Targeting to Translational Diagnostic Perspectives.ChemMedChem · 2026Review
- Diagnostic gaps in light microscopy for malaria case management and control in Dilla Zuria Health Facility, southern Ethiopia.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Diagnostic challenges in malaria detection: A comparative diagnostic performance of HRP2-based rapid diagnostic tests, microscopy, and PCR at Bichena primary hospital, Northwest Ethiopia.Parasite epidemiology and control · 2026Article
- Unveiling the overlooked burden of malaria misdiagnosis using lamp-based re-evaluation of routine malaria diagnosis in health centers: implications for public health and clinical practice in Northwest Ethiopia.BMC infectious diseases · 2026Article
- Automated Detection of Parasitic Elements in Veterinary Fecal Samples Using a Deep Learning-Based Object Detection Framework.Veterinary sciences · 2026Article
- Community reservoirs of malaria parasites and gametocytes in Arba Minch district, southern Rift Valley, Ethiopia: a cross-sectional study.Malaria journal · 2026Article
- False-positive and false-negative malaria rapid diagnostic test results: evidence from a nationally representative survey of children in Ghana.Malaria journal · 2026Article
- Unmasking Malaria: Microscopy and nPCR Reveal the Hidden Misdiagnosis ofInterdisciplinary perspectives on infectious diseases · 2026Article
- Malaria infection prevalence and diagnostic performance of the Abbott Bioline Malaria Ag P.f/Pan rapid test in rural populations of Central Cameroon.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Black Phosphorous-Based Surface Plasmon Resonance Biosensor for Malaria Diagnosis.Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
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11 authors.
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Abstract
backgroundOne of the main challenge for controlling the morbidity and mortality related to malaria is the absence of reliable treatment and precise diagnostic tools in malaria-prone regions. Despite the number of diagnostic techniques used, and inconsistent results were found from previous studies. The aim of this study is to assess the effectiveness of 18S nested PCR(Polymerase Chain Reaction),microscopy, and CarestartTMpf/pan RDT(Rapid Diagnostic Tests) as malaria diagnostic methods using Microscopy and 18S nested PCR as reference techniques.
methodsA facilities and community based cross-sectional study was conducted in the villages of Batodegama kebele and Adama malaria control center from December 2016 to February 2017. A fingerprick blood sample was collected from each participant for the CarestartTM pf/pan RDT test, microscopy, and dry blood spot (DBS) analysis and 18S nested PCR assay. Data were analyzed using STATA11 to calculate the sensitivity, specificity, predictive values, and accuracy.
resultsAmong the 128 asymptomatic patients, 26 (20.3%) were positive for malaria nested 18S PCR, 5 (3.9%) through RDT, and 8 (6.3%) through microscopy. From 202 symptomatic Patients, 55 (27.23%), 26 (12.87%), and 28 (13.86%) individuals were positive for 18S nested PCR, RDT, and microscopy, respectively. Comparative analysis of 18S nested PCR, microscopy, and CarestartTMpf/pan RDT have similar sensitivities of 50% and specificities of 100%.for diagnosing symptomatic malaria infections. Furthermore, species level analysis showed that 18S nested PCR has a higher detection rate of 26 (20.31%) than microscopy 8 (6.25%) and CareStartTM pf/pan RDT 5 (4.1%). The CarestartTMpf/pan RDT had a sensitivity of 15.4% and specificity of 98% in detecting asymptomatic malaria infections. However, the two methods have comparable sensitivities.
conclusionsThe 18S nested PCR assay showed superior performance in all circumstances. On the other hand, the overall performance of CareStart TM pf/pan RDTs was found to be comparable to that of microscopy. This finding highlights the value of parallel application of CareStart TM pf/pan RDTs and microscopy in a resource-limited setup.
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