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. 2020 Mar;44(1):122-125.
doi: 10.1007/s12639-019-01170-y. Epub 2019 Oct 24.

Performance evaluation of a popular malaria RDT in Nigeria compared with microscopy

Oluwaremilekun G Ajakaye  1 , Mojirayo R Ibukunoluwa  2
Affiliations

Performance evaluation of a popular malaria RDT in Nigeria compared with microscopy

Oluwaremilekun G Ajakaye et al. J Parasit Dis. 2020 Mar.

Abstract

Malaria remains a public health problem in Sub-Saharan Africa. Prompt diagnosis and effective treatment are important in reducing morbidity and mortality associated with malaria especially among high-risk groups. This study evaluated the diagnostic performance of one of the popular malaria rapid diagnostic test (RDT) kit in Nigerian market which has not been investigated before in field-condition compared with microscopy as the gold standard. A total number of 250 children of 10 years and below were examined for malaria parasites using both microscopy and RDT in Uhogua community in Edo state and data were analysed using SPSS version 22. The prevalence of malaria by microscopy was 99.2% while only 55.2% were positive by RDT. Majority of the study populations were asymptomatic for malaria infection. RDT sensitivity and specificity compared to light microscopy was 69.08% and 66.67% respectively while the positive predictive value and negative predictive value were 99.6% and 1.77% respectively. The RDT accuracy was less than 70%. RDT cannot be relied upon alone for malaria diagnosis. Microscopy remains the gold standard for malaria diagnosis.

Keywords: Asymptomatic; Malaria; Microscopy; Nigeria; Rapid diagnostic test (RDT).

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interestsThe authors declare that they have no competing interests.

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