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Njewa B, Eyong EEJ, Ebai CB. Malaria parasitaemia and its impact on biological parameters among children <16 years old attending the Nkwen District Hospital, Cameroon. MALARIAWORLD JOURNAL 2024; 15:3. [PMID: 38476708 PMCID: PMC10929319 DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.10731943] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/14/2024]
Abstract
Introduction Malaria remains a major public health problem in children in endemic areas. This study aimed to determine its prevalence, intensity, and assess how biological parameters like RBC count, haemoglobin, haematocrit, glycaemia, platelet count and WBC count vary with respect to parasitaemia in children <16 years attending the Nkwen District Hospital, northwest Cameroon. Materials and Methods The study was a hospital-based cross-sectional study conducted between March-May 2023. Structured, closed-ended questionnaires were administered to obtain information. Patients' temperature was measured using an infrared forehead digital thermometer. Malaria was diagnosed by RDT and positive samples Giemsa-stained for parasitaemia. Full blood count was performed using a haemolyser and glycaemia measured using a glucometer. Results In total, 321 children were examined. Overall prevalence of malaria (all P. falciparum) was 22.7% (73/321), with 24.7% (18/73), 34.2% (25/73) and 41.1% (30/73) having low, moderate and high parasitaemias, respectively. Overall GMPD was 2.670.8±179.9/μL; children aged 6-10 years were hit hardest (5.377.7 ± 3.2/μL). Malaria-positive children had significantly lower RBC count, Hb concentration, Hct, blood sugar, WBC and platelet counts (p<0.05) compared to those that were negative. Among positive children, RBC count, Hct, Hb, lymphocyte and platelet count each showed a significant (p<0.05) decrease while total WBC and granulocyte count each showed a significant (p<0.05) increase with increasing levels of parasitaemia. Conclusions Changes in biological parameters during malaria are sensitive but poor specific indicators of malaria because they may overlap with symptoms of other infections. More attention should be given to children aged 6-10 years during strategic planning and design of malaria control programmes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bertrand Njewa
- Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Science, The University of Bamenda, P.O. Box 39, Bambili, North West Region, Cameroon
| | - Ebanga Echi Joan Eyong
- Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Science, The University of Bamenda, P.O. Box 39, Bambili, North West Region, Cameroon
| | - Calvin Bissong Ebai
- Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Science, The University of Bamenda, P.O. Box 39, Bambili, North West Region, Cameroon
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Kayode TA, Addo AKA, Addison TK, Tweneboah A, Afriyie SO, Abass DA, Seth A, Badu-Tawiah AK, Badu K, Koepfli C. Welcome to the next generation of Malaria Rapid Diagnostic Tests: Comparative Analysis of NxTek Eliminate Malaria P.f, Biocredit Malaria Ag Pf, and SD Bioline Malaria Ag Pf for Plasmodium falciparum Diagnosis in Ghana. RESEARCH SQUARE 2023:rs.3.rs-3459263. [PMID: 37886535 PMCID: PMC10602185 DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-3459263/v1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/28/2023]
Abstract
Background Accurate diagnosis and timely treatment are crucial in combating malaria. Methods We evaluated the diagnostic performance of three Rapid Diagnostic Tests (RDTs) in diagnosing febrile patients, namely: Abbott NxTek Eliminate Malaria Ag Pf (detecting HRP2), Rapigen Biocredit Malaria Ag Pf (detecting HRP2 and LDH on separate bands), and SD Bioline Malaria Ag Pf (detecting HRP2). Results were compared to qPCR. Results Among 449 clinical patients, 45.7% (205/449) tested positive by qPCR for P. falciparum with a mean parasite density of 12.5parasites/μL. The sensitivity of the Biocredit RDT was 52.2% (107/205), NxTek RDT was 49.3% (101/205), and Bioline RDT was 40.5% (83/205). When samples with parasite densities lower than 20 parasites/uL were excluded (n=116), a sensitivity of 88.8% (79/89, NxTek), 89.9% (80/89, Biocredit), and 78.7% (70/89, Bioline) was obtained. All three RDTs demonstrated specificity above 95%. The limits of detection was 84 parasites/μL (NxTek), 56 parasites/μL (Biocredit, considering either HRP2 or LDH), and 331 parasites/μL (Bioline). None of the three qPCR-confirmed P. falciparum positive samples, identified solely through the LDH target, carried hrp2/3 deletions. Conclusion The Biocredit and NxTek RDTs demonstrated comparable diagnostic efficacies and both RDTs performed better than Bioline RDT.
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Lekpor CE, Botchway F, Kusi KA, Adjei AA, Wilson MD, Stiles JK, Wilson NO. Angiogenic and angiostatic factors present in the saliva of malaria patients. Malar J 2022; 21:220. [PMID: 35836234 PMCID: PMC9284857 DOI: 10.1186/s12936-022-04221-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2022] [Accepted: 06/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Malaria related mortality is associated with significant deregulation of host inflammatory factors such as interferon-inducible protein 10, a member of the CXC or α-subfamily (CXCL10), and host angiogenic factors such as angiopoietin 1 (Ang-1) and angiopoietin 2 (Ang-2). However, detection of these factors in malaria patients requires the drawing of blood, which is invasive and increases the risk of accidental blood-borne infections. There has been an increased interest in the use of saliva as the body fluid of choice for the diagnosis of many infectious diseases including malaria. Here, saliva levels of CXCL10, Ang-1, and Ang-2 previously shown to be predictive of severe malaria in malaria patients in Ghana were assessed in malaria patients. Methods This study was conducted in the Shai-Osudoku District Hospital in Dodowa, Accra, Ghana and the study population comprised 119 malaria patients and 94 non-malaria subjects. The non-malaria subjects are healthy community participants with no malaria infection. Plasma and saliva levels of CXCL10, Ang-1 and Ang-2 of the study participants were measured using an enzyme-linked immunoassay. Complete blood counts of each participant were measured with a haematology autoanalyzer. Pearson correlation was used to evaluate the correlation between plasma and saliva levels of each biomarker in malaria patients. A p-value of < 0.05 was considered significant. Box plots of median biomarker concentrations were plotted. SPSS version 14.2 software was used for statistical analysis. Results The non-malaria subjects had a median age of 29 years compared to 23 years for malaria patients (p = 0.001). Among the malaria patients, there was a strong significant relationship between CXCL10 (R2 = 0.7, p < 0.0001) and Ang-1 (R2 = 0.7, p < 0.0001). Malaria patients had lower saliva levels of Ang-1 (p = 0.009) and higher saliva levels of CXCL10 (p = 0.004) and Ang-2 (p = 0.001) compared to non-malaria subjects. Conclusions This study provides the first evidence of elevated levels of CXCL10 and Ang-2 in the saliva of malaria patients. Detection of CXCL10, Ang-1 and Ang-2 in saliva may have a potential application for non-invasive malaria diagnosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cecilia Elorm Lekpor
- Department of Pathology, Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, University of Ghana Medical School, Accra, Ghana.
| | - Felix Botchway
- Department of Chemical Pathology, University of Ghana Medical School, Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, Accra, Ghana
| | - Kwadwo Asamoah Kusi
- Department of Immunology, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana.,Department of Parasitology, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana
| | - Andrew A Adjei
- Department of Pathology, Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, University of Ghana Medical School, Accra, Ghana
| | - Michael D Wilson
- Department of Parasitology, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana
| | - Jonathan K Stiles
- Department of Microbiology, Biochemistry & Immunology, Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Nana O Wilson
- Department of Microbiology, Biochemistry & Immunology, Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA.
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Elkhalifa AME, Abdul-Ghani R, Tamomh AG, Eltaher NE, Ali NY, Ali MM, Bazie EA, KhirAlla A, DfaAlla FA, Alhasan OAM. Hematological indices and abnormalities among patients with uncomplicated falciparum malaria in Kosti city of the White Nile state, Sudan: a comparative study. BMC Infect Dis 2021; 21:507. [PMID: 34059017 PMCID: PMC8166086 DOI: 10.1186/s12879-021-06228-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2021] [Accepted: 05/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Hematological abnormalities are common features in falciparum malaria but vary among different populations across countries. Therefore, we compared hematological indices and abnormalities between Plasmodium falciparum-infected patients and malaria-negative subjects in Kosti city of the White Nile State, Sudan. METHODS A comparative, cross-sectional study was conducted at the Clinical Laboratory Unit of Kosti Teaching Hospital from June to December 2018. A total of 392 participants (192 P. falciparum-infected patients and 200 malaria-negative subjects) were recruited in the study. Hematological indices of hemoglobin (Hb), red blood cells (RBCs), white blood cells (WBCs) and platelets were measured, and their median values were statistically compared. RESULTS The majority of P. falciparum-infected patients (67.6%) showed a low-level parasitemia. The median values of Hb concentration, RBC count, mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular Hb (MCH) and mean corpuscular Hb concentration (MCHC) were significantly lower in P. falciparum-infected patients, while the median red cell distribution width (RDW) was significantly higher in the patients compared to malaria-negative subjects. Anemia, low MCV, low MCH, low MCHC and high RDW were significantly associated with falciparum malaria, but parasitemia level was not significantly associated with anemia severity. The median total WBC count was non-significantly higher in P. falciparum-infected patients, with neutropenia being significantly associated with falciparum malaria. The median platelet count was significantly lower in P. falciparum-infected patients, with thrombocytopenia being significantly associated with falciparum malaria. CONCLUSIONS Falciparum malaria among patients in Kosti city of the White Nile State, Sudan is predominantly of low-level parasitemia. It is significantly associated with anemia, low MCV, low MCH, low MCHC, high RDW, thrombocytopenia and neutropenia. However, parasitemia level is not a significant predictor of anemia severity. On the other hand, leucopenia is not useful to predict falciparum malaria. Further large-scale studies in community and healthcare settings and inclusion of patients with complicated or severe malaria and those with high parasite densities are recommended.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahmed M E Elkhalifa
- Department of Public Health, College of Health Sciences Saudi Electronic University, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.,Department of Hematology, Faculty of Medical Laboratory Sciences, University of El Imam El Mahdi, Kosti, Sudan
| | - Rashad Abdul-Ghani
- Department of Medical Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Sana'a University, Sana'a, Yemen. .,Tropical Disease Research Center, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University, of Science and Technology, Sana'a, Yemen.
| | - Abdelhakam G Tamomh
- Department of Parasitology and Medical Entomology, Faculty of Medical Laboratory Sciences, University of El Imam El Mahdi, Kosti, Sudan
| | - Nur Eldin Eltaher
- Department of Public Health, Faculty of Public and Environmental Health, University of El Imam El Mahdi, Kosti, Sudan
| | - Nada Y Ali
- Department of Hematology, Faculty of Medical Laboratory Sciences, University of El Imam El Mahdi, Kosti, Sudan
| | - Moataz M Ali
- Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, University of El Imam El Mahdi, Kosti, Sudan.,Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Albaha University, Albaha, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| | - Elsharif A Bazie
- Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, University of El Imam El Mahdi, Kosti, Sudan
| | - Aboagla KhirAlla
- Department of Hematology, Faculty of Medical Laboratory Sciences, University of El Imam El Mahdi, Kosti, Sudan
| | - Fatin A DfaAlla
- Department of Hematology, Faculty of Medical Laboratory Sciences, University of El Imam El Mahdi, Kosti, Sudan
| | - Omnia A M Alhasan
- Department of Hematology, Faculty of Medical Laboratory Sciences, University of El Imam El Mahdi, Kosti, Sudan
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