Sheyin Z, Bigwan IE
To compare the diagnostic performance of CARE START malaria rapid diagnostic test (RDT) with reference to light microscopy. Microscopy remains t he gold standard for malaria diagnosis. However, its accuracy under operational conditions in Africa where malaria is highly endemic is often low. This study is therefore to test the performance of the C ARE START rapid diagnostic test with light microscopy. Field stain A and B Manufactured by PAR K Scientific ltd, UK were used for the Light Microscopy. The CARE START rapid test manufactured by ACCESS BIO INC, USA was used for the rapid test. Of the 263 patients tested, 139 (52.9%) were positive for malaria parasites with the Light Microscopy and 112 (42.6%) were positive for malari a parasite by RDT CARE START HRP 2 . The sensitivity and specificity of the RDT was found to be 78.4% and 97.6% respectively while the Positive Predictive Value (PPV) and the Negative Predictive Value (NPV) were found to be 97.3% and 80.1%respectively. The CareStart™ RDT test showed go od sensitivity and specificity with a good agreement to the reference light microscopy. The RD T could therefore be used in place of light microscopy, which in poor set-ups cannot be used ro utinely.
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