Laboratory diagnosis of malaria.

Diagnostic procedures for the detection of malaria differ considerably depending on the aims of evaluation. The current requirements of any laboratory procedure for general application to the detection and diagnosis of malaria include: sensitivity, specificity, simplicity in application, unambiguous interpretation, and rapid turn-around time. Presently the differential stained thick and thin blood smear, examined under the microscope, remains the most reliable and definitive test for diagnosis of malaria.