Malaria epidemiology and comparative reliability of diagnostic tools in Bannu; an endemic malaria focus in south of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.

ABSTRACT: The present study was aimed at elucidation of malaria epidemiology and comparing performance of several diagnostic procedures in Bannu, a highly endemic district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Dried blood spots were collected from patients suspected of malaria visiting a hospital and two private laboratories in district Bannu and processed for species-specific PCR (rRNA). Patients were also screened for malaria through microscopy and RDT. A well-structured questionnaire was used to collect patient information to assess risk factors for malaria. Of 2033 individuals recruited, 21.1% (N = 429) were positive for malaria by at least one method. Overall, positivity detected by PCR was 30.5% (95/311) followed by 17.7% by microscopy (359/2033) and 16.4% by RDT (266/1618). Plasmodium vivax (16.9%

SUBMITTER: Jahan F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6493316 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature