How do you interpret malaria test results?

Your test results may not mean you have a problem. Ask your healthcare provider what your test results mean for you. A normal test is negative, meaning that you don’t have any Plasmodium parasites in your blood. A positive result means that you have the parasites in your blood and that you may have malaria.

What is the gold standard for laboratory diagnosis of malaria?

The gold standard for the diagnosis of malaria involves microscopy with visualization of Giemsa-stained parasites in a blood sample. Species determination is made based on morphological characteristics of the four species of human malaria parasites and the infected red blood cells.

What dOES +++ mean in malaria test result?

These scores were used to estimate parasite densities: + = 10 to 90 parasites/μl; ++ = 100 to 1,000 parasites/μl, +++ = 1,000 to 10,000 parasites/μl; ++++ = >10,000 parasites/μl, assuming a white blood cell count of 8,000/μl.

How do you identify Plasmodium falciparum in a blood smear?

Examination of Giemsa-stained peripheral blood smear is the standard test for the diagnosis of malarial infection. Classic ring-shaped/headphone-shaped trophozoites are seen in case of Plasmodium falciparum infection.

What is the significance of a thick and thin smear for identifying malaria parasite?

Thick blood smears are most useful for detecting the presence of parasites, because they examine a larger sample of blood. (Often there are few parasites in the blood at the time the test is done.) A thin blood smear is a drop of blood that is spread across a large area of the slide.

How useful is PCR in the diagnosis of malaria?

Abstract. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays are the most sensitive and specific method to detect malaria parasites, and have acknowledged value in research settings.

What is the normal range of malaria test?

The sensitivity of AO staining for detection of malaria parasites in infections with parasite levels of <100 parasites/μl (0.002% parasitemia) has been reported to range from 41 to 93% (73). The specificity for infections with P. falciparum is excellent (>93%) (16), with most observers recognizing the small ring forms.

What is PBS for MP test?

Peripheral Blood Smears (PBS)