Detection of Plasmodium Infection by the illumigene Malaria Assay Compared to Reference Microscopy and Real-Time PCR

摘要

Malaria is a common disease globally. The World Health Organization estimates the Plasmodium parasite infected 212 million people in 2015 (1). Malaria is also one of the most common infectious diseases found in travelers returning from the tropics. Between 2004 and 2014, CanTravNet surveillance, a network of travel clinics in large urban centers, reported that malaria was the most common specific cause of fever in returning travelers (2). Malaria is often preventable during travel using readily available chemoprophylaxis or personal protective measures such as insecticide-treated bed nets and clothing (3). Plasmodium falciparum is the most virulent species for malaria and must be promptly diagnosed to prevent infectious complications or death due to a delay in diagnosis, particularly in returning travelers (4). Malaria-related hospitalizations in the United States are more frequent than once thought according to a recent study which identified 22,029 hospitalizations in a 15-year period, with an average length of stay of 4.36 days at a cost of US$25,789 (5).