Evaluation of the performance of rapid diagnostic tests for malaria diagnosis and mapping of different Plasmodium species in Mali

2024

Article

Dembélé P., Cissoko M., Diarra Adama Zan , Doumbia L., Koné A., Magassa M.H., Mehadji M., Thera M.A., Ranque S.

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2024, 21 (2), 228 ISSN 1660-4601

Background: The first-line diagnosis of malaria in Mali is based on the use of rapid diagnostic tests (RDT) that detect the Histidin Rich Protein 2 (HRP2) antigen specific to Plasmodium falciparum. Our study, based on a real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) gold standard, aimed to describe the distribution of the Plasmodium species in each administrative region of Mali and to assess the performance of RDTs. Methods: We randomly selected 150 malaria-negative and up to 30 malaria-positive RDTs in 41 sites distributed in 9 regions of Mali. DNA extracted from the RDT nitrocellulose strip was assayed with a pan-Plasmodium qPCR. Positive samples were then analyzed with P. falciparum-, P. malariae-, P. vivax-, or P. ovale-specific qPCRs. Results: Of the 1496 RDTs, 258 (18.6%) were positive for Plasmodium spp., of which 96.9% were P. falciparum. The P. vivax prevalence reached 21.1% in the north. RDT displayed acceptable diagnostic indices; the lower CI95% bounds of Youden indices were all ?0.50, except in the north (Youden index 0.66 (95% CI [0.44-0.82]) and 0.63 (95% CI [0.33-0.83]. Conclusions: Overall, RDT diagnostic indices are adequate for the biological diagnosis of malaria in Mali. We recommend the use of RDTs detecting P. vivax-specific antigens in the north.

Epidémiologie générale [050EPID] ; Lutte [052ANOPAL04]

Fonds IRD [F B010093805]

fdi:010093805