Oyetunde T Oyeyemi1, Oluwarotimi J Sode2, Olalekan D Adebayo2, Grace O Mensah-Agyei2. 1. Department of Biosciences and Biotechnology, Babcock University, Ilishan-Remo, Ogun, Nigeria. Electronic address: zootund@yahoo.com. 2. Department of Biosciences and Biotechnology, Babcock University, Ilishan-Remo, Ogun, Nigeria.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: The effective management of maternal and infant malaria requires rational and prompt diagnosis. This study aims to determine the diagnostic efficiency of malaria RDT in infants and pregnant women. METHODS: The study was conducted on infants (n=200), pregnant women (n=80) and non-pregnant women (n=100) who were recruited from two hospitals in Lagos, Nigeria. Plasmodium falciparum infections were assessed in the febrile subjects by microscopic examinations of blood smears and by RDT. RESULTS: The lowest (44.3%) and the highest (83.3%) sensitivity (SS) values were recorded in the infants and pregnant women, respectively. Other diagnostic parameters, including the specificity (SP, 97.5%), positive predictive value (PPV, 92.1%) and negative predictive value (NPV, 72.8%), in the infants were greater than the values recorded in non-pregnant (SP=77.5%, PPV=83.9%, NPV=70.5%) and pregnant women populations (SP=65.6%, PPV=78.4%, NPV=72.4%). The diagnostic efficiency of malaria RDT exhibited higher sensitivity in women in early gestational stages (1st trimester=78.6% and 2nd trimester=88.0%) compared with those in the 3rd trimester (71.4%). The sensitivity of malaria RDT (100.0%) was significantly higher in the multigravid women than in the primigravida (78.6%) and secundigravida women (77.8%, P<0.05). The sensitivity of the RDT significantly increased with the intensity of the malarial parasites (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Malaria is endemic in the study populations. Malaria RDT can serve as a first-line of diagnosis for pregnant women in early gestational stages and multigravid women and can aid the differential diagnoses of other diseases due to its high specificity in infants.
BACKGROUND: The effective management of maternal and infantmalaria requires rational and prompt diagnosis. This study aims to determine the diagnostic efficiency of malaria RDT in infants and pregnant women. METHODS: The study was conducted on infants (n=200), pregnant women (n=80) and non-pregnant women (n=100) who were recruited from two hospitals in Lagos, Nigeria. Plasmodium falciparum infections were assessed in the febrile subjects by microscopic examinations of blood smears and by RDT. RESULTS: The lowest (44.3%) and the highest (83.3%) sensitivity (SS) values were recorded in the infants and pregnant women, respectively. Other diagnostic parameters, including the specificity (SP, 97.5%), positive predictive value (PPV, 92.1%) and negative predictive value (NPV, 72.8%), in the infants were greater than the values recorded in non-pregnant (SP=77.5%, PPV=83.9%, NPV=70.5%) and pregnant women populations (SP=65.6%, PPV=78.4%, NPV=72.4%). The diagnostic efficiency of malaria RDT exhibited higher sensitivity in women in early gestational stages (1st trimester=78.6% and 2nd trimester=88.0%) compared with those in the 3rd trimester (71.4%). The sensitivity of malaria RDT (100.0%) was significantly higher in the multigravid women than in the primigravida (78.6%) and secundigravida women (77.8%, P<0.05). The sensitivity of the RDT significantly increased with the intensity of the malarial parasites (P<0.05). CONCLUSION:Malaria is endemic in the study populations. Malaria RDT can serve as a first-line of diagnosis for pregnant women in early gestational stages and multigravid women and can aid the differential diagnoses of other diseases due to its high specificity in infants.
Authors: Rosette Megnekou; Jean Claude Djontu; Benderli C Nana; Jude D Bigoga; Maurice Fotso; Balotin Fogang; Rose F G Leke Journal: Malar J Date: 2018-12-04 Impact factor: 2.979