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How prevalent is Plasmodium malariae in Rondônia, western Brazilian Amazon?
M T Cavasini1, W L Ribeiro, F Kawamoto
1Laboratory of Molecular Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine of São José do Rio Preto, Brazil.
Revista Da Sociedade Brasileira De Medicina Tropical
|November 7, 2000
Abstract:
We have compared results of Plasmodium species identification obtained with conventional on-site microscopy of Giemsa-stained thick smears (GTS) and a semi-nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in 96 malaria patients from Rondônia, Western Brazilian Amazon. Mixed-species infections were detected by PCR in 30% patients, but no such case had been found on GTS. Moreover, P. malariae infections were detected in 9 of 96 patients (10%) by PCR, but were not identified by local microscopists. The potential impact of species misidentification on malaria treatment and control is discussed.