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E-Book 3rd Congress

  • New techniques and methods for laboratory diagnosis of malaria disease
  • Mina Monavvary,1,* Mina Khodayari,2 Mohammad Taghi Ahady,3
    1. Undergraduate Student of Microbiology, Department of Biology, Ardabil Branch, Islamic Azad University
    2. Postgraduate Student of Biotechnology, Department of Biotechnology, University of Verona
    3. PhD of Parasitology, Department of Biology, Ardabil Branch, Islamic Azad University


  • Introduction: Introduction: Malaria is a very common and important parasitic disease that has affected the lives of more than three billion and four hundred million people in the world. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there are more than 300-500 million malaria cases and almost 1 million deaths per year. This disease became a big issue especially in areas of Africa, Asia, and South America. The causative agent of fatal and malignant malaria is a protozoan called Plasmodium falciparum. One of the most important reasons for the high mortality in this disease is that it is difficult to detect the infection in the early stages and there is still no method or technique for early detection of malaria. On the other hand, common diagnostic methods are usually expensive and not easily accessible to everyone, especially in underdeveloped and developing countries. The purpose of this systematic review was to review and introduce all malaria diagnostic techniques and methods, especially the newest and most effective methods of laboratory diagnosis of this parasitic disease.
  • Methods: Methods: The present study was conducted using a systematic review method. In order to collect scientific resources and specialized information, it was referred to reliable sites and databases including Google Scholar, Web of Sciences, PubMed, Scopus, SID, and Irandoc. The key words and phrases used in this study were: malaria disease, diagnostic techniques, Plasmodium falciparum, new methods of malaria diagnosis. Persian and English research articles published in the last 10 years (2012-2023) were collected and studied.
  • Results: Results: A total of 118 articles were collected, among them 83 articles were excluded from the study due to the similarity and repetition of topics, as well as their content not being related to the main variable of the research. Therefore, 35 articles were selected for this study. Based on the results of selected research articles there are many types of laboratory methods and techniques to diagnose malaria. The most important diagnostic methods and techniques for malaria, from traditional and common methods to the latest and most advanced methods, are as follows: Microscopy technique (preparation of thin and thick blood smears and microscopic observation), Computer imaging of the parasite with two techniques; MKM (Moving k-Means), and FCM (Fuzzy c-Means), Serological test, Antibody Testing (IFA), Rapid Diagnostic Tests (RDTs), Quantitative Buffy Coat (QBC), Biosensor (electrochemical immunosensor), Molecular technique qPCR, Nested PCR, Immunochromatography, LAMP assay, Flow Cytometry, Biomarkers, and Quantitative Buffy Coat (QBC) test. A novel testing platform under development by researchers at the Yale School of Public Health (YSPH) and CytoAstra, LLC could provide a new noninvasive test for malaria that doesn't require a blood sample. A portable cytophone prototype that could detect malaria infection in people living in endemic settings. For malaria, the cytophone technology uses lasers at specific wavelengths focused on superficial blood vessels. When the parasites that cause malaria infection enter red blood cells, they use the hemoglobin inside those cells to liberate amino acids. New techniques based on digital imaging analysis by deep learning and artificial intelligence methods are a challenging alternative tool for the diagnosis of infectious diseases. In particular, systems based on Convolutional Neural Networks for image detection of the malaria parasites emulate the microscopy visualization of an expert. Microscope automation provides a fast and low-cost diagnosis, requiring less supervision.
  • Conclusion: Conclusion: Based on the results of this study, it is concluded that new techniques including noninvasive test (a portable cytophone prototype), and digital imaging analysis and artificial intelligence methods can provide fast, accurate, and low-cost diagnosis for malaria.
  • Keywords: Keywords: Malaria, Plasmodium falciparum, Laboratory diagnosis of malaria, Diagnostic techniques