Izere Cedrick, Niyigena Joyce, Tuyishime Jean de Dieu, Nshimiyimana Alexis, Habyarimana Thierry, Ndishimye Pacifique, Yadufashije Callixte, Niyonzima Francois N
Department of Biomedical Laboratory Sciences, Ines-Ruhengeri Institute of Applied Sciences, Musanze district, Northern Province, Rwanda.
Department of Medical Research Center, Rwanda Biomedical Center, Kigali City, Rwanda.
East Afr Health Res J. 2022;6(2):203-207. doi: 10.24248/eahrj.v6i2.700. Epub 2022 Nov 30.
Malaria presents a diagnostic challenge in most tropical countries including Rwanda. Microscopy remains the gold standard for diagnosing malaria, however, it is labour intensive and depends upon the skill of the examiner. Malaria rapid diagnostic tests (MRDTs) have been developed as an easy, convenient alternative to microscopy.
A cross sectional study was conducted from October to November 2019 on 130 febrile patients who were directed to the laboratory department for blood screening for malaria parasites at Byumba Health centre. The main objective of this study was to correlate Microscopy and MRDTs in diagnosis of malaria.
After signing a consent form, blood samples were collected and screened for malaria parasites microscopically and by using MRDTs. Data collection forms were filled with relevant information and obtained results for MRDTs and for peripheral blood smear were recorded. The collected data were statistically analyzed using GraphPad Prism 9 software. The mean age found to be 16 years old. In this study peripheral blood smear microscopy was considered as a reference method. The sensitivity and specificity of RDT Histidine-Rich Protein 2 (HRP-2) were calculated and found to be 96.6% and 60% respectively. The negative predictive value was found to be 92.85% where positive predictive value was 73.3%.
MRDTs should be used along with microscopy to avert complications associated with delayed diagnosis and similar studies are required to identify alternative techniques with high specificity for the diagnosis of malaria.
在包括卢旺达在内的大多数热带国家，疟疾的诊断都面临挑战。显微镜检查仍然是诊断疟疾的金标准，然而，它劳动强度大且依赖于检查人员的技能。疟疾快速诊断检测（MRDTs）已被开发出来，作为一种比显微镜检查更简便的替代方法。
2019年10月至11月，对130名发热患者进行了一项横断面研究，这些患者被送往比温巴健康中心的实验室进行疟原虫血液筛查。本研究的主要目的是比较显微镜检查和MRDTs在疟疾诊断中的相关性。
在签署知情同意书后，采集血样，通过显微镜检查和使用MRDTs进行疟原虫筛查。在数据收集表中填写相关信息，并记录MRDTs和外周血涂片的结果。使用GraphPad Prism 9软件对收集的数据进行统计分析。发现平均年龄为16岁。在本研究中，外周血涂片显微镜检查被视为参考方法。计算了RDT组氨酸丰富蛋白2（HRP - 2）的敏感性和特异性，分别为96.6%和60%。阴性预测值为92.85%，阳性预测值为73.3%。
应将MRDTs与显微镜检查结合使用，以避免与诊断延迟相关的并发症，并且需要进行类似研究以确定具有高特异性的疟疾诊断替代技术。
