scholarly journals Update on Malaria Diagnostics and Test Utilization

2017 ◽  
Vol 55 (7) ◽  
pp. 2009-2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Blaine A. Mathison ◽  
Bobbi S. Pritt
Keyword(s):  
Gold Standard ◽  
Acute Infection ◽  
Laboratory Diagnosis ◽  
Rapid Diagnosis ◽  
Diagnostic Methods ◽  
Nucleic Acid Amplification ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages ◽  
Life Threatening ◽  
Antigen Tests ◽  
Malaria Test

ABSTRACT Malaria is a potentially life-threatening disease requiring rapid diagnosis and treatment. Although microscopic examination of thick and thin blood films remains the gold standard for laboratory diagnosis, rapid antigen tests and nucleic acid amplification methods may also play a useful role in detection of acute infection. This review discusses the advantages and disadvantages of the commonly used diagnostic methods and provides important practice points for optimal malaria test utilization.

scholarly journals A review on lab-on-chip as a potential diagnostic tool for early detection of Plasmodium knowlesi

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (9) ◽  
Author(s):  
Solihah Maketar ◽  
Nurhidanatasha Abu Bakar
Keyword(s):  
Early Detection ◽  
Diagnostic Tool ◽  
Malaria Infection ◽  
High Speed ◽  
Plasmodium Knowlesi ◽  
Acute Infection ◽  
Diagnostic Methods ◽  
Lab On Chip ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages ◽  
On Chip

Massive elimination efforts have been done to control the malaria disease caused by the emergence of the fifth human malaria parasite known as Plasmodium knowlesi. Early detection of the parasite is important in treating malaria infection. Microscopic examination of Giemsa-stained thick and thin blood films is the gold standard for laboratory malaria diagnosis, while rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs), polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) are significant diagnostic techniques to detect acute infection. However, these methods have several limitations in which it could delay the treatment. The potential of lab-on-chip (LOC) as a point-of-care diagnostic tool for malaria fulfils the requirement of limitations where it is able to produce early detection of malaria infection. This review discusses advantages and disadvantages of malaria diagnostic methods as well as new approaches that could be used for high speed, sensitive and reliable malaria detection to prevent the disease from causing severe complications and even fatal if left untreated.

scholarly journals Rapid Molecular Diagnostic Sensor Based on Ball-Lensed Optical Fibers

Biosensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 125
Author(s):  
Byungjun Park ◽  
Bonhan Koo ◽  
Jisub Kim ◽  
Kiri Lee ◽  
Hyeonjin Bang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Coxiella Burnetii ◽  
Optical Sensing ◽  
Q Fever ◽  
Optical Signal ◽  
Rapid Diagnosis ◽  
Diagnostic Methods ◽  
Nucleic Acid Amplification ◽  
Molecular Diagnostic ◽  
Wavelength Shift ◽  
Detection Range

Given the fatal health conditions caused by emerging infectious pathogens, such as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, their rapid diagnosis is required for preventing secondary infections and guiding correct treatments. Although various molecular diagnostic methods based on nucleic acid amplification have been suggested as gold standards for identifying different species, these methods are not suitable for the rapid diagnosis of pathogens owing to their long result acquisition times and complexity. In this study, we developed a rapid bio-optical sensor that uses a ball-lensed optical fiber (BLOF) probe and an automatic analysis platform to precisely diagnose infectious pathogens. The BLOF probe is easy to align and has a high optical sensing sensitivity (1.5-fold) and a large detection range (1.2-fold) for an automatic optical sensing system. Automatic signal processing of up to 250 copies/reaction of DNA of Q-fever-causing Coxiella burnetii was achieved within 8 min. The clinical utility of this system was demonstrated with 18 clinical specimens (9 Q-fever and 9 other febrile disease samples) by measuring the resonant wavelength shift of positive or negative samples for Coxiella burnetii DNA. The results from the system revealed the stable and automatic optical signal measurement of DNA with 100% accuracy. We envision that this BLOF probe-based sensor would be a practical tool for the rapid, simple, and sensitive diagnosis of emerging infectious pathogens.

scholarly journals Review on the laboratory diagnosis of Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 67-74
Author(s):  
Jin Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Mycoplasma Pneumoniae ◽  
Clinical Symptoms ◽  
Severe Pneumonia ◽  
Laboratory Diagnosis ◽  
Community Acquired Pneumonia ◽  
Resistance Rate ◽  
Diagnostic Methods ◽  
Research Progress ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages ◽  
Mycoplasma Pneumoniae Infection

AbstractMycoplasma pneumoniae(MP) is an important pathogen of community-acquired pneumonia in children. As a type of self-limited disease, most MP infections cause mild clinical symptoms, but they can also lead to severe pneumonia or extrapulmonary complications. The resistance rate of MP has increased in recent years. Early and rapid diagnosis of MP infection is important for the treatment and prognosis of the disease. Current methods for diagnosing MP infection include isolation culture, serological diagnosis, and molecular biological diagnosis. This review summarizes the recent research progress in the internal and external laboratory diagnoses of MP infection both at home and abroad and the advantages and disadvantages of various diagnostic methods.

scholarly journals Hepatitis D: challenges in the estimation of true prevalence and laboratory diagnosis

Gut Pathogens ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lin-Yuan Chen ◽  
Xiao-Yu Pang ◽  
Hemant Goyal ◽  
Rui-Xia Yang ◽  
Hua-Guo Xu
Keyword(s):  
Rna Virus ◽  
Pegylated Interferon ◽  
Laboratory Diagnosis ◽  
International Standards ◽  
Diagnostic Methods ◽  
Detection Methods ◽  
Hepatitis D ◽  
High Risk Sexual Behavior ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages ◽  
True Prevalence

AbstractHepatitis delta virus (HDV) is a defective single negative chain RNA virus, as its envelope protein synthesis is dependent on hepatitis B virus (HBV). Studies have consistently shown that coinfection of HBV and HDV is the most serious form of viral hepatitis, with accelerated progression to liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. About 74 million of HBV surface antigen (HBsAg) positive patients worldwide are also co-infected with HDV. Besides, patients with intravenous drug use and high-risk sexual behavior are at higher risk of HDV infection. Therapeutic schedules for HDV are limited, and relapse of HDV has been observed after treatment with pegylated interferon alpha. To reduce the transmission of HDV, all people infected with HBV should be screened for HDV. At present, several serological and molecular detection methods are widely used in the diagnosis of HDV. However, due to the lack of international standards diagnostic results from different laboratories are often not comparable. Therefore, the true prevalence of HDV is still unclear. In this manuscript, we have analyzed various factors influencing the estimation of HDV prevalence. We have also discussed about the advantages and disadvantages of currently available HDV laboratory diagnostic methods, in order to provide some ideas for improving the detection of HDV.

scholarly journals Microbiological Laboratory Diagnosis of Human Brucellosis: An Overview

Pathogens ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 1623
Author(s):  
Giovanni Di Bonaventura ◽  
Silvia Angeletti ◽  
Andrea Ianni ◽  
Tommasangelo Petitti ◽  
Giovanni Gherardi
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Symptoms ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Point Of Care ◽  
Laboratory Diagnosis ◽  
Cross Reactivity ◽  
Diagnostic Methods ◽  
Nucleic Acid Amplification ◽  
Human Brucellosis ◽  
Microbiological Analysis ◽  
Serological Tests

Brucella spp. are Gram-negative, non-motile, non-spore-forming, slow-growing, facultative intracellular bacteria causing brucellosis. Brucellosis is an endemic of specific geographic areas and, although underreported, represents the most common zoonotic infection, with an annual global incidence of 500,000 cases among humans. Humans represent an occasional host where the infection is mainly caused by B. melitensis, which is the most virulent; B. abortus; B. suis; and B. canis. A microbiological analysis is crucial to identifying human cases because clinical symptoms of human brucellosis are variable and aspecific. The laboratory diagnosis is based on three different microbiological approaches: (i) direct diagnosis by culture, (ii) indirect diagnosis by serological tests, and (iii) direct rapid diagnosis by molecular PCR-based methods. Despite the established experience with serological tests and highly sensitive nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs), a culture is still considered the “gold standard” in the laboratory diagnosis of brucellosis due to its clinical and epidemiological relevance. Moreover, the automated BC systems now available have increased the sensitivity of BCs and shortened the time to detection of Brucella species. The main limitations of serological tests are the lack of common interpretative criteria, the suboptimal specificity due to interspecies cross-reactivity, and the low sensitivity during the early stage of disease. Despite that, serological tests remain the main diagnostic tool, especially in endemic areas because they are inexpensive, user friendly, and have high negative predictive value. Promising serological tests based on new synthetic antigens have been recently developed together with novel point-of-care tests without the need for dedicated equipment and expertise. NAATs are rapid tests that can help diagnose brucellosis in a few hours with high sensitivity and specificity. Nevertheless, the interpretation of NAAT-positive results requires attention because it may not necessarily indicate an active infection but rather a low bacterial inoculum, DNA from dead bacteria, or a patient that has recovered. Refined NAATs should be developed, and their performances should be compared with those of commercial and home-made molecular tests before being commercialized for the diagnosis of brucellosis. Here, we review and report the most common and updated microbiological diagnostic methods currently available for the laboratory diagnosis of brucellosis.

scholarly journals Laboratory Diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 Pneumonia

Diagnostics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 1270
Author(s):  
Melissa R. Gitman ◽  
Maryia V. Shaban ◽  
Alberto E. Paniz-Mondolfi ◽  
Emilia M. Sordillo
Keyword(s):  
Respiratory Tract ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Laboratory Diagnosis ◽  
Nucleic Acid Amplification ◽  
Health Economy ◽  
Diagnostic Strategies ◽  
The Public ◽  
Viral Spread ◽  
The Past ◽  
Antigen Tests

The emergence and rapid proliferation of Coronavirus Disease-2019, throughout the past year, has put an unprecedented strain on the global schema of health infrastructure and health economy. The time-sensitive agenda of identifying the virus in humans and delivering a vaccine to the public constituted an effort to flatten the statistical curve of viral spread as it grew exponentially. At the forefront of this effort was an exigency of developing rapid and accurate diagnostic strategies. These have emerged in various forms over the past year—each with strengths and weaknesses. To date, they fall into three categories: (1) those isolating and replicating viral RNA in patient samples from the respiratory tract (Nucleic Acid Amplification Tests; NAATs), (2) those detecting the presence of viral proteins (Rapid Antigen Tests; RATs) and serology-based exams identifying antibodies to the virus in whole blood and serum. The latter vary in their detection of immunoglobulins of known prevalence in early-stage and late-stage infection. With this review, we delineate the categories of testing measures developed to date, analyze the efficacy of collecting patient specimens from diverse regions of the respiratory tract, and present the up and coming technologies which have made pathogen identification easier and more accessible to the public.

scholarly journals Diagnostic Methods ofHelicobacter pyloriInfection for Epidemiological Studies: Critical Importance of Indirect Test Validation

2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Miftahussurur ◽  
Yoshio Yamaoka
Keyword(s):  
Gold Standard ◽  
Epidemiological Studies ◽  
Diagnostic Methods ◽  
Test Validation ◽  
Urine Test ◽  
Indirect Test ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages ◽  
Urease Test ◽  
H Pylori ◽  
Indirect Tests

Among the methods developed to detectH. pyloriinfection, determining the gold standard remains debatable, especially for epidemiological studies. Due to the decreasing sensitivity of direct diagnostic tests (histopathology and/or immunohistochemistry [IHC], rapid urease test [RUT], and culture), several indirect tests, including antibody-based tests (serology and urine test), urea breath test (UBT), and stool antigen test (SAT) have been developed to diagnoseH. pyloriinfection. Among the indirect tests, UBT and SAT became the best methods to determine active infection. While antibody-based tests, especially serology, are widely available and relatively sensitive, their specificity is low. Guidelines indicated that no single test can be considered as the gold standard for the diagnosis ofH. pyloriinfection and that one should consider the method’s advantages and disadvantages. Based on four epidemiological studies, culture and RUT present a sensitivity of 74.2–90.8% and 83.3–86.9% and a specificity of 97.7–98.8% and 95.1–97.2%, respectively, when using IHC as a gold standard. The sensitivity of serology is quite high, but that of the urine test was lower compared with that of the other methods. Thus, indirect test validation is important although some commercial kits propose universal cut-off values.

scholarly journals Predictors and diagnosis of cardiac autonomic nervous dysfunction in patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus

10.14341/8156 ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 185-193 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kirill A. Popov ◽  
Alla Y. Tokmakova ◽  
Irina Z. Bondarenko
Keyword(s):  
Neuronal Degeneration ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Clinical Manifestations ◽  
Diagnostic Algorithm ◽  
Laboratory Diagnosis ◽  
Diabetic Complication ◽  
Diagnostic Methods ◽  
Diabetic Patients ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages ◽  
Early Implementation

Diabetic cardiovascular autonomic neuropathy (DCAN) is a diabetic complication characterised by early dissemination of sympathetic and parasympathetic, small-fibre neuronal degeneration. DCAN is the most dangerous and insidious complication that influences the clinical course and mortality rate of diabetes; however, it is often underestimated and not recognised by practitioners. Medical history and a physical examination are not sufficient for diagnosing DCAN. Laboratory diagnosis and the instrumental methods used to evaluate DCAN are time-consuming and not always available. Early detection of DCAN in diabetic patients is important for the early implementation of therapy. Today, there is no uniform diagnostic algorithm for DCAN in patients with various disorders of carbohydrate metabolism. This is due to the insufficient number of clinical trials and limitations of current protocols. This review presents an overview of the clinical and experimental studies of DCAN. The epidemiology, clinical manifestations, risk factors and underlying pathogenesis of DCAN are considered. The advantages and disadvantages of conventional and new diagnostic methods are discussed.

scholarly journals The Performance evaluation of three laboratory diagnostic methods for intestinal parasitic infections at rural Bahir Dar, Northwest Ethiopia: a cross-sectional study

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Birtukan Bayayibign ◽  
Mulat Melaku ◽  
Woynshet Gelaye
Keyword(s):  
Performance Evaluation ◽  
Gold Standard ◽  
Intestinal Parasites ◽  
Laboratory Diagnosis ◽  
Diagnostic Methods ◽  
Parasitic Infections ◽  
Gold Standard Method ◽  
Predictive Values ◽  
Intestinal Parasitic Infections ◽  
Wet Mount

Introduction: Even if the prevalence of intestinal parasites is high in Ethiopia, we still use only direct wet mount method for laboratory diagnosis of intestinal parasitic infections, having low sensitivity, and this significantly increases false-negative results. Therefore, the performance evaluation of three laboratory diagnostic methods is mandatory.  Methods: Single stool sample was collected from March 2018 to June 2018, among 211 school children, and processed using a wet mount, modified Baermann (MB), and Ritchie’s methods. The sensitivity and negative predictive values (NPVs) at 95% confidence interval and Kappa values were calculated in terms of the gold standard method (the combined result of altogether).  Results: The overall prevalence of intestinal parasites was 60.2%. The sensitivity and NPVs of the wet mount, MB, and Ritchie’s methods against the “Gold standard” test were 49.6% and 56.8%, 80.3% and 77.1%, and 67.7% and 68.8%, respectively.  Conclusions: MB showed the best, and wet mount showed the least performance for the laboratory diagnosis of intestinal parasitic infections.

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