Plasmodium falciparum, a causative agent of Malaria
Malaria is caused by one of four species of Plasmodium ( (falciparum, vivax, malariae and ovale). Of these P. falciparum is the most lethal being estimated to cause 200 million clinical cases, and 1-3 million deaths (including many children) every year world-wide. There are approximately half a billion new cases of Malaria every year. The genome sequence of Plasmodium falciparum was published in Nature Magazine in October of 2002.
The parasite has a complex life cycle and is transmitted to humans by the female anopheles mosquito and goes through the life cycle shown in the two figures below.
Courtesy of http://post.queensu.ca/~forsdyke/images/pfalcip04.gif
Detection of Plasmodium falciparum:
In many endemic countries, the diagnosis of malaria is made on the basis of clinical symptoms. However, the diagnosis of malaria is complex because the symptoms overlap with other diseases endemic to the same regions known to have malaria endemics. This often results in treatment with anti malarial drugs of patients that do not have malaria and others that have malaria are misdiagnosed and left untreated. The emergence of drug resistance is a common problem in african countries due to poor diagnostic methods.
Peripheral smear microscopy remains the "gold standard" for the diagnosis of malaria and it should be used whenever possible. However, it is hard to maintain the standards required for good microscopy. Thick malarial smears require skilled technologists to evaluate the slides. Another reliable method for detection that may be a little more costly is the detection of parasite HRP2 protein or plasmodium lactate dehydrogenase, released by the infected red cells.
Detection of Plasmodium falciparum DNA by Polymerase Chain Reaction is a highly sensitive approach to diagnosing the disease in a short time. Because of the high specificity and sensitivity of the test, it is being used more commonly especially in countries that do not have the malaria endemics.
Sample required: Fresh whole blood collected in EDTA tube and shipped cooled overnight.
Turnaround Time: 1-3 days