Rates of malaria among travelers returning from endemic areas to the United States and other industrialized countries are increasing. Imported malaria causes considerable morbidity in this setting. Travelers often fail to use the recommended chemoprophylaxis. The diagnosis of malaria by blood smears can easily be missed by inexperienced technicians. Newer immunochromatographic methods take 15 min and can be performed without special expertise or equipment. The 2-band tests detect Plasmodium falciparum, targeting histidine-rich protein-2 (HRP-2), and the 3-band tests detect other malaria parasites as well, targeting HRP-2 and aldolase combined or parasite lactate dehydrogenase (LDH). It is not known whether these rapid tests are reliable alternatives to other methods.
Original Publication Date: August 2005
No comments:
Post a Comment