Guideline: the laboratory diagnosis of malaria

Bailey, Wendi, Williams, John, Bain, Barbara J., Parker-Williams, John and Chiodini, Peter L. (2013) 'Guideline: the laboratory diagnosis of malaria'. British Journal of Haematology, Vol 163, Issue 5, pp. 573-580.

Full text not available from this repository.

Abstract

UK National External Quality Assessment Service surveys indicate continuing problems in malaria diagnosis: inaccurate calculation of parasitaemia or failure to estimate it altogether, difficulty distinguishing Plasmodium vivax from P. ovale, reporting malaria parasites when none were present and misidentification of P. falciparum as another species still occur. Therefore, the British Committee for Standards in Haematology Guidelines for the Laboratory Diagnosis of Malaria have been revised. They are intended for use in the UK but may also prove useful in other non-endemic areas. Routine use of thick and thin films is advised for malaria diagnosis. Thick films should be stained using Giemsa or Field stain. Thin films should be stained with Giemsa stain or Leishman stain. Thick films should be examined by two observers, each viewing a minimum of 200 high power fields. If thick films are positive, the species should be determined by examination of a thin film. In the case of P. falciparum or P. knowlesi infection, the percentage of parasitized cells or the number of parasites per microlitre (/μl) should be estimated and reported. Rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) for malarial antigen cannot replace microscopy but are indicated as a supplementary test when malaria diagnosis is performed by relatively inexperienced staff. Malaria RDTs are negative in babesiosis

Item Type:	Article
Subjects:	QY Clinical Pathology > QY 25 Laboratory techniques and procedure QY Clinical Pathology > Blood. Blood Chemistry > QY 400 General works WC Communicable Diseases > Tropical and Parasitic Diseases > WC 750 Malaria WX Hospitals and Other Health Facilities > Clinical Departments and Units > WX 207 Clinical and pathological laboratories
Faculty: Department:	Clinical Sciences & International Health > Clinical Sciences Department
Digital Object Identifer (DOI):	https://doi.org/10.1111/bjh.12572
Depositing User:	Lynn Roberts-Maloney
Date Deposited:	10 Nov 2014 09:58
Last Modified:	06 Feb 2018 13:07
URI:	https://archive.lstmed.ac.uk/id/eprint/4563

Statistics

View details

Actions (login required)

Edit Item