Malaria

Malaria is a mosquito-borne, hemolytic, febrile illness that infects over 200 million people and kills more than 1 million people per year. It is caused by four species of Plasmodium: P. falciparum, P. vivax, P. ovale, and P. malariae. These plasmodia all infect and destroy human erythrocytes, producing chills, fever, anemia, and splenomegaly. P. falciparum causes more sever disease than the other plasmodial species and accounts for most malaria deaths, and it is one of the two most common malaria pathogens. Traditionally, malaria is diagnosed by the demonstration of the organisms on Giemsa stained thick smears of peripheral blood, and the diff erent species of plasmodium are distinguished by their appearance in infected erythrocytes. The technique is capable of accurate and reliable diagnosis, but only when performed by skilled microscopists using defi ned protocols, which presents major obstacles for the remote and poor areas of the world. The Pf Ag Rapid Test is developed for solving these obstacles. It detects the Pf specifi c antigen pHRP-II in human blood specimen. It can be performed by untrained or minimally skilled personnel, without laboratory equipment.