A Comparative Study on Malaria Rapid Diagnostic Kit and Conventional Giemsa Stained Blood Film Microscopy

Aim: This study was aimed at comparing the rapid diagnostic kit with that of conventional Giemsa stained thick and thin blood film microscopy. Background: Accurate diagnosis of malaria cases in rural areas is a very difficult task due to lack of steady power supply and lack of well trained scientists to handle microscopy. Since rapid diagnostic test produces result within short period of time there is high preference to the rapid diagnostic kit without recourse to sensitivity, specificity, accuracy and reliability of the result obtained. Methods: Blood samples were collected from 144 children and adults with fever/history of fever and 20 control specimens at BMSH, Port Harcourt. Rapid diagnostic test was performed using CareStart Plasmodium falciparium malaria (HRP 2) test kit by access Bio while Giemsa stained thick and thin blood films was used for conventional microscopic method. Result: Results were analyzed and compared using conventional microscopy as reference standard. The blood films indicated that 73.6 % of the patients were positive for P. falciparium while rapid test recorded 30.6 % for P. falciparium. Rapid test failed to diagnose malaria at concentration less than 100 per microliter of blood. Its sensitivity and specificity were 37.7 % and 89 % respectively. Reliability of the result was below average (40.3 %) and its accuracy was 51 %. The Giemsa method was significantly sensitive than the RDT (P = 9.51 x 10-15). Conclusion: The advantages of RDT requiring little training and produces result in short period of time considered the use as alternative diagnostic tool in malaria endemic area but should not be rely upon as complete diagnostic tool for malaria.