Work

Diagnosing malaria in pregnancy: an update

Year: 2012

Type: review

Abstract: Pregnancy malaria (PM) due to Plasmodium falciparum is a major cause of morbidity and mortality for women and their offspring, but is difficult to recognize and diagnose. During PM, parasites typically sequester in the placenta, whereas peripheral blood smears often appear negative. In addition, many infected women remain asymptomatic, especially in areas of high transmission where systemic immunity is high, although sequelae including maternal anemia and intrauterine growth retardation develop insidiously and increase mortality. New rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) have shown promise for malaria diagnosis in nonpregnant individuals, including a product recently approved by the US FDA for use in the USA. However, the sensitivity and specificity of RDTs for diagnosis of PM may be suboptimal. Here, we review the methods that are used to detect or diagnose PM, including blood smear microscopy, RDTs, PCR-based methods, and finally placental histology, which is often cited as the gold standard for use in research studies and clinical trials.

Source: Expert Review of Anti-infective Therapy

DOI: 10.1586/eri.12.98

Authors: Michal Fried, Atis Muehlenbachs, Patrick E Duffy

Institutions: Center for Infectious Disease Research, National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, University of Washington

Language: English

Topic: Malaria Research and Control

Subfield: Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: green

Funders: Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases