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- Title
Diagnostic performance of NxTek<sup>™</sup> Eliminate Malaria-Pf test for the detection of Plasmodium falciparum in school children with asymptomatic malaria.
- Authors
Biruksew, Abdissa; Demeke, Ashenafi; Birhanu, Zewdie; Kebede, Estifanos; Golassa, Lemu; Mathebula, Evans Mantiri; Yewhalaw, Delenasaw
- Abstract
Background: One of the major roadblocks to the falciparum malaria elimination programme is the presence of a portion of the population, such as school children, with asymptomatic malaria infection. Targeting such reservoirs of infections is critical to interrupting transmission and enhancing elimination efforts. The NxTek™ Eliminate Malaria Pf test is a highly sensitive rapid diagnostic test (hsRDT) for the detection of HRP-2. However, knowledge gaps exist in Ethiopia on the diagnostic performance of hsRDT for the detection of Plasmodium falciparum in school children with asymptomatic malaria. Methods: A school-based cross-sectional study was conducted from September 2021 to January 2022 on 994 healthy school children (aged 6–15 years). Finger-pricked whole blood samples were collected for microscopy, hsRDT, conventional RDT (cRDT or SD Bioline Malaria Ag Pf/P.v), and QuantStudio™ 3 Real—Time PCR system (qPCR). The hsRDT was compared to cRDT and microscopy. qPCR and microscopy were used as reference methods. Results: The prevalence of Plasmodium falciparum was 1.51%, 2.2%. 2.2% and 4.52%, by microscopy, hsRDT, cRDT and qPCR, respectively. Using qPCR as reference, the sensitivity of hsRDT was higher (48.89%) than the microscopy (33.3%), and showed 100% specificity and a positive predictive value (PPV). Microscopy showed similar specificity and PPV as hsRDT. Using microscopy as a reference, the diagnostic perforrmances of both hsRDT and cRDT were similar. Both RDTs demonstrated identical diagnostic performances in both comparison methods. Conclusions: hsRDT has the same diagnostic performance as cRDT but improved diagnostic characteristics than microscopy for detection of P. falciparum in school children with asymptomatic malaria. It can be a useful tool for the national malaria elimination plan of Ethiopia.
- Subjects
ETHIOPIA; SCHOOL children; ASYMPTOMATIC patients; PLASMODIUM falciparum; RAPID diagnostic tests; MALARIA
- Publication
Malaria Journal, 2023, Vol 22, Issue 1, p1
- ISSN
1475-2875
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1186/s12936-023-04529-y