A high number of P. falciparum parasites, which lack pfhrp2 exon 2 gene have been identified in two communities in Ghana.
These results underline that successful malaria diagnosis and treatment requires as much investment in general health infrastructure as it does in new technologies.
The study found high provider adherence to RDT results, but that providers believed in certain clinical exceptions and felt they lacked alternative options.
Malaria prevalence estimates varied with diagnostic test, age, and transmission intensity.
This ultrasensitive RT-PCR method is a robust, field-tested screening method that is vastly more sensitive than RDTs.
Introducing RDTs into drug shops was feasible and it increased appropriate treatment of malaria with artemisinin-based combination therapy.
The utility of field-collected RDTs was validated as a source of DNA for genetic studies interrogating frequencies of drug resistance mutations, using two different molecular methods (PCR and High Resolution Melting).
These studies show that plasma PfHRP2 can be assessed via a single RDT, with application of a plasma dilution of 1:5 or 1:10 providing useful diagnostic information to assist in patient management or clinical trial inclusion.
Rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) have been considered as an ideal alternative for light microscopy to detect malaria parasites especially in remote areas.
Guyana and Suriname have made important progress in reducing the burden of malaria.
