Can malaria rapid diagnostic tests by drug sellers under feld conditions classify children 5 years old or less with or without Plasmodium falciparum malaria? : Comparison with nested PCR analysis

• Background Malaria rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) available as dipsticks or strips, are simple to perform, easily interpretable and do not require electricity nor infrastructural investment. Correct interpretation of and compliance with the malaria RDT results is a challenge to drug sellers. Thus, drug seller interpretation of malaria RDT strips was compared with laboratory scientist re-reading, and PCR analysis of Plasmodium DNA extracted from malaria RDT nitrocellulose strips and Fast Transient Analysis (FTA) cards. Malaria RDT cassettes are also assessed as potential source of Plasmodium DNA.MethodsA total of 212 children aged between 2 and 60 months, 199 of whom had complete records at two study drug shops in south west Uganda participated in the study. Duplicate 5μL samples of capillary blood were picked from the 212 children, dispensed onto the sample well of the CareStartTM Pf-HRP2 RDT cassette and a fast transient analysis (FTA), WhatmanTM 3MM filter paper in parallel. The malaria RDT strip was interpreted by the drug seller within 15 to 20 minutes, visually re-read centrally by laboratory scientist and from it; Plasmodium DNA was recovered and detected by PCR, and compared with FTA recovered P. falciparum DNA PCR detection.ResultsMalaria positive samples were 62/199 (31.2% 95% CI 24.9 - 38.3) by drug seller interpretation of malaria RDT strip, 59/212 (27.8% 95% CI 22.2 – 34.3) by laboratory scientist, 55/212 (25.9% 95% CI 20.0 – 32.6) by RDT nitrocellulose strip PCR and 64/212 (30.2% 95% CI 24.4 – 37.7). The overall agreement between the drug seller interpretation and laboratory scientist re-reading of the malaria RDT strip was 93% with kappa value of 0.8 (95 % CI 0.7, 0.9). The drug seller compliance with the reported malaria RDT results and kappa value were 92.5% and 0.8 (95% CI 0.7, 0.9), respectively. The performance of the three diagnostic strategies compared with FTA PCR as the gold standard had sensitivity between 76.6% and 86.9%, specificity above 90%, positive predictive value ranging from 79% to 89.8% and negative predictive value above 90%.Conclusion:Drug sellers can use of malaria RDTs in field conditions and achieve acceptable accuracy for malaria diagnosis, and they comply with the malaria RDT results. Plasmodium DNA can be recovered from malaria RDT nitrocellulose strips even in the context of drug shops. Future malaria surveillance and diagnostic quality control studies with malaria RDT cassette as a source of Plasmodium DNA are recommended.

Ämnesord

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Hälsovetenskap -- Folkhälsovetenskap, global hälsa, socialmedicin och epidemiologi (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Health Sciences -- Public Health, Global Health, Social Medicine and Epidemiology (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Integrated case management

Rapid diagnostic test

Polymerase chain reaction

Drug seller

Febrile Illness

Malaria

Private sector

Compliance

External quality assurance

International Health

Internationell hälsa

Social Medicine

Socialmedicin

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