World Journal of
Pharmaceutical and Life Sciences

STUDIES ON DIAGNOSTIC AND PREVENTIVE METHODS OF Plasmodium falciparum INFECTION IN BENUE STATE, NIGERIA.

O. A. Adulugba*, O. Amali, F. T. Ikpa and M. M. Manyi

ABSTRACT

Malaria is a febrile illness caused by parasites of the genus Plasmodium and transmitted by female Anopheles mosquitoes. This study was aimed at evaluating the diagnostic and preventive methods of Plasmodium falciparum among patients attending Government hospitals in Benue State, Nigeria. Blood samples of 1200 consenting patients were collected through finger prick and observed for P. falciparum using rapid diagnostic test kit (PfRDTs). Thick and thin blood films were prepared for microscopic examination. Transmission and control factors in relation to the disease among the patients were obtained using questionnaire. The prevalence of the infection using microscopy and PfRDTs were 37.1% and 34.4% respectively. There was significant differences between the diagnostic tools used (?2=757.859, df= 1 P< 0.001). The detection of the infection in relation to diagnostic parameters using microscopy as reference test showed a sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive values and negative predictive value at 95% confidence interval (CI) recorded at 83.6% , 94.6%, 90.1% and 90.7% for RDTs. The males were more infected with the prevalence of 237(53.3%) across the age groups than their female counterparts who had prevalence of 208(46.7%). The infection was statistically significant (?2= 52.348, df =3, P< 0.001). Patients that did not use malaria preventive methods had higher prevalence of 68.1% compared to patients that used combined methods of prevention (15.2%). A significant difference was observed between patients that did not use malaria preventive methods and those that did (?2126.223, df =3, P<0.001). These results suggest that CareStartTM (Pf) malaria RDTs are useful in malaria diagnosis. However, false-negative RDT results were detected and may be of great concern in malaria management.

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