Reliable enumeration of malaria parasites in thick blood films using digital image analysis.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Quantitation of malaria parasite density is an important component of laboratory diagnosis of malaria. Microscopy of Giemsa-stained thick blood films is the conventional method for parasite enumeration. Accurate and reproducible parasite counts are difficult to achieve, because of inherent technical limitations and human inconsistency. Inaccurate parasite density estimation may have adverse clinical and therapeutic implications for patients, and for endpoints of clinical trials of anti-malarial vaccines or drugs. Digital image analysis provides an opportunity to improve performance of parasite density quantitation.

Methods

Accurate manual parasite counts were done on 497 images of a range of thick blood films with varying densities of malaria parasites, to establi

SUBMITTER: Frean JA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2761936 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature