Plasmodium: Diagnosis

Plasmodium: Diagnosis


Laboratory Diagnosis

  1. Microscopy – detecting & identifying malarial parasites in peripheral blood films.
  2. Concentrating parasites in venous blood by centrifugation when they cannot be found in blood films
  3. Using a rapid malaria Ag or enzyme detection test
  4. Other tests – Hb, PCV, Blood glucose, total WBC & platelet count.
Examination of blood Film
  • Collection of blood
  • Best prepared directly from capillary blood
  • In EDTA bulb (used within 30 mins) 

Time of collection

  • As soon as possible if malaria is suspected
  • Before administering antimalarials
  • During pyrexia lphase

Types of blood Film

  • Two types:
1.Thick films :
  • 30 to 40 times more sensitive than thin films
  • More suitable for detection of malarial parasite when they are few in number
  • Blood is not fixed, RBCs are lysed during staining (only parasitic forms will be seen) 

2.   Thin films :

  • To confirm the Plasmodium species
  • Assists in the identification of mixed infections
  • Blood is fixed, parasites are seen within the RBCs
  • Also helps in assessing the response to treatment.
Fixation and Staining
  • Fixation – thin films are fixed with absolute alcohol for 1 to 2 mins.
  • Staining – films are stained with Romanowsky stain: Giemsa, field’s, Wright’s
  • Giemsa – 10% solution for 10 mins

 Identifying Blood Film

Look for the different morphological forms of the parasite in blood smear:
  1. Trophozoites / ring forms
  2. Schizont(Not seen in Plasmodium falciparum)
  3. Gametocytes

Trophozoites / ring forms

Character

P. vivax

P. falciparum

Size

2.5µ (1/3rd of RBC)

1.25 to 1.5 µ

Cytoplasm

Thick opposite to nucleus

Uniform thickness

Nucleus

One/ ring

Can have >1

Number of rings

One ring/ RBC

>1/ RBC

Location in RBCs

Always inside RBCs

Inside as well as on the surface (accole’ forms)

Type of RBC infected

Preferentially young RBCs & reticulocytes

All types

  
Schizont

Character

P. vivax

P. falciparum

Size of RBC

Increases to twice its size

Does not change

No of merozoites

16

8 to 32

Arrangement of merozoites

Symmetric in form of rosette

Asymmetrical

Presence in peripheral blood

Present

Absent

Gametocytes

Character

P. vivax

P. falciparum

Shape – Male

          Female

Spherical

Spherical

Cresentic

Sausage shaped

Nucleus – M

                F

Central, diffuse

Peripheral,small

Central, diffuse

Central,compact

Infected RBC

Enlarged

Deformed, with its membrane, stretched.

 Important Points

Schüffner’s dots

  • Exclusively found in Plasmodium ovale and Plasmodium vivax
  • Morphologic alterations in infected host erythrocytes that are visible as multiple brick-red dots
Maurer’s dot:
  • Fine granular precipitates or irregular cytoplasmic particles  present in red blood cells infected with the trophozoites of Plasmodium falciparum
Counting the % age of  parasitised RBCs
  • On thin blood films
  • When falciparum malaria parasitemia is high
Method of counting:
  1. Select an area where no of RBCs is roughly 250.
  2. Count the no of parasitised RBCs in 4 such fields i.e. approximately 1000 RBCs.
  3.  Divide by 10 to obtain the percentage.
  4. *WHO – if it is >5%, then the parasitemia is heavy & prognosis is poor.

Rapid Diagnostic Test

  • Developed to diagnose falciparum malaria rapidly & without a microscope.
  • Can also detect vivax malaria
  • Immunochromatographic test
  • Three tests are available commercially
  • Detects HRP2 Ag (Histidine-rich protein) or specific pLDH (parasite lactate dehydrogenase) or Pan malarial plasmodium aldolase
  • Both HRP2 & pLDH are produced by the parasites during their growth & differentiation in RBCs.

Exam Question

Laboratory Diagnosis

  1. Microscopy – detecting & identifying malarial parasites in peripheral blood films.
  2. Concentrating parasites in venous blood by centrifugation when they cannot be found in blood films
  3. Using a rapid malaria Ag or enzyme detection test
  4. Other tests – Hb, PCV, Blood glucose, total WBC & platelet count.
Thin films :
  • To confirm the Plasmodium species

 Identifying Blood Film

Look for the different morphological forms of parasite in blood smear:
  1. Trophozoites / ring forms
  2. Schizont(Not seen in Plasmodium falciparum)
  3. Gametocytes

Schüffner’s dots

  • Exclusively found in Plasmodium ovale and Plasmodium vivax
  • Morphologic alterations in infected host erythrocytes that are visible as multiple brick-red dots
Maurer’s dot:
  • Fine granular precipitates or irregular cytoplasmic particles  present in red blood cells infected with the trophozoites of Plasmodium falciparum

Immunochromatographic test

  • Three tests are available commercially
  • Detects HRP2 Ag (Histidine-rich protein) or specific pLDH (parasite lactate dehydrogenase) or Pan malarial plasmodium aldolase
  • Both HRP2 & pLDH are produced by the parasites during their growth & differentiation in RBCs.
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