Sensitivity of P. vivax rapid antigen detection tests and possible implications for self-diagnostic use

Grobusch, Martin P.; Hänscheid, Thomas; Göbels, Klaus; Slevogt, Hortense; Zoller, Thomas; Rögler, Gertrud; Teichmann, Dieter

doi:10.1016/S1477-8939(03)00037-1

« Previous Next »Travel Medicine and Infectious Disease
Volume 1, Issue 2 , Pages 119-122, May 2003

Sensitivity of P. vivax rapid antigen detection tests and possible implications for self-diagnostic use

Martin P. Grobusch
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Charité, Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany
- Department of Parasitology, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Eberhard Karls University, Wilhelmsstr. 27, D-72074 Tuebingen, Germany
- Corresponding author. Address: Department of Parasitology, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Eberhard Karls University, Wilhelmsstr. 27, D-72074 Tuebingen, Germany. Tel.: +49-7071-298-0234; fax +49-7071-29-4684
Thomas Hänscheid
- Lab. Microbiologia, Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Faculdade de Medicina de Lisboa, Portugal
Klaus Göbels
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Charité, Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany
Hortense Slevogt
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Charité, Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany
Thomas Zoller
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Charité, Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany
Gertrud Rögler
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Charité, Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany
Dieter Teichmann
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Charité, Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany

Received 11 February 2003; received in revised form 21 March 2003; accepted 24 March 2003.

Abstract

In a prospective study amongst febrile travellers returning from malaria-endemic areas to Berlin, Germany, two rapid malarial antigen detection tests were compared for the diagnosis of vivax malaria with routine microscopy. With ICT Malaria P.f./P.v.^®, 664 samples of 492 patients were examined. 17 patients had vivax malaria, out of which 11 infections were missed (35.3% sensitivity). With OptiMal^®, 659 samples of 539 patients were examined. 22 patients had vivax malaria, and all infections were identified correctly (100% sensitivity). Specificity was 100% with both tests. The ICT Malaria P.f./P.v.^® is advertised for layman use during travel, and the literature was reviewed with respect to the question of suitability of these devices for self-testing. It is concluded that with the ICT Malaria P.f./P.v.^®, the detection of non-falciparum (i.e. predominantly vivax) malaria is unreliable, and test interpretation for medically untrained individuals particularly in distress might be too complicated even after proper instruction.

Keywords: Malaria, Diagnosis, Self-diagnosis, Rapid antigen detection, P. vivax