Evaluation of ICT Malaria Pf / Pv Immunochromatographic Test for Rapid Diagnosis of Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax Infections at Jimma Malaria Sector, Southwestern Ethiopia.
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Abstract
Background: Rapid and simple antigen capture tests have been used widely for the diagnosis of only falciparum malaria infection. These methods have a grand insufficiency where Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax infections are co —endemic. We evaluated an imunochromatographic test, ICT malaria P.f/P.v (AMRAD ICT, Australia) that can distinguish infections due to both species.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 100 patients with a presumptive clinical diagnosis of malaria to evaluate ICT Malaria P.f/P.v test against blinded microscopy Giemsa stained thick film as a "gold standard". The study was done at Jimma Malaria Sector, southwest Ethiopia from 7 to 28 February 2000.
Results: Out of 100 patients, only 50% of those with presumptive clinical diagnosis of malaria were parasitaemic. Correspondingly, the card test identified -19 positive cases and there was no statistically significant deference between the two methods on the positivity rate for the diagnosis of a malaria infection (P > 0.9, x2 =0.01). The sensitivity, specificity, Positive predictive value (PPV), Negative predictive value (NPV) and accuracy of ICT Malaria P.f/P.v test were 87.5%, 91.3%, 46.7%, 98.8% and 91% for the diagnosis of P. falciparum; and 78.6%, 98.3%, 97.1%, 86.4% and 90% for P. vivax, respectively. These parameters were greater than 90% for the diagnosis total malaria infection. The mean time to perform microscopic examination and ICT Malaria P.f/P.v test were 54 and 10 minutes respectively and the deference was statistically significant (P < 0.00001, x2 =67.3).
Conclusions: In this study the ICT Malaria P.f/P.v was found to be rapid, simple and accurate for the diagnosis of P. falciparum and P. vivax infections at primary health care level where there is no laboratory. However, the current market price of the kit will be the major obstacle for routine use.