TITLE:
Diagnosis of Malaria among Blood Donors in Port Harcourt, Nigeria: Microscopy or Rapid Diagnostic Tests?
AUTHORS:
Kennedy T. Wariso, Ibinabo L. Oboro
KEYWORDS:
Blood Donors, Microscopy, Rapid Diagnostic Tests
JOURNAL NAME:
Advances in Microbiology,
Vol.5 No.5,
May
18,
2015
ABSTRACT: The two most common techniques available for diagnosis of malaria in Nigeria
are microscopy and rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs). However, in diagnosing asymptomatic Plasmodium parasitaemia among donors,
the preferred technique should not only be timely but must not compromise diagnosis.
It should be more sensitive with minimal chances of false negative results. This
study was carried out to compare microscopy and RDTs as effective tools for diagnosis
of Plasmodium parasitaemia among blood
donors in Port Harcourt. There were 200 donors involved in the study among which
135 (67.5%) tested positive and 65 (32.5%) tested negative on microscopy whereas
30 (15.0%) tested positive and 170 (85.0%) tested negative to RDT with a statistically
significant difference between both techniques. Data were analysed using the statistical
package epi-info version 7.02. We therefore
recommend that microscopy using giemsa-stained blood films remain the method of
choice for diagnosis of Plasmodium parasitaemia
among blood donors to prevent the spread of transfusion malaria.