Description of Project

This study evaluated three rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) — AccessBio CareStart PfPan (CSPfPan), CareStart PfPv (CSPfPv), and Standard Diagnostics Bioline PfPv (SDBPfPv) — for detecting natural Plasmodium vivax infections in basic clinics in Jalalabad, Afghanistan. It also examined whether locally made evaporative cooling boxes (ECBs) could protect RDTs from heat damage. Venous blood samples from P. vivax-positive patients were tested against a panel of six RDTs, stored either at room temperature or in ECBs. Results were compared to a gold standard using double-read reference slides and PCR, with sensitivity, specificity, and overall performance assessed by parasitaemia levels and storage conditions. Findings showed CSPfPan was the most reliable for the P. vivax-dominant setting, while CSPfPv had reduced sensitivity at parasitaemia below 5,000/µL, and SDBPfPv had an unacceptably high invalid rate. ECB storage lowered invalid results for SDBPfPv but did not improve sensitivity at low parasitaemia. Read More: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21696587/