[Obstacles to laboratory diagnosis of malaria in Mali--perspectives]

Rapid accurate laboratory diagnosis is necessary for effective malaria management. In Mali, meeting this prerequisite is impeded by underuse of laboratory diagnosis by clinicians, absence of qualified laboratory facilities in some locations, and poor continuous professional education of laboratory technicians. The twofold aim of this investigation was to perform quality control of thick smear readings made by laboratory technicians in 1998 and 1999 and to study the feasibility and diagnostic value of two rapid diagnostic tests (RDT), i.e., ParaSight and OptiMAL, in comparison with the thick smear technique in the period from 1998 to 2003. Quality control of thick smear readings indicated a 56% false positive rate with 49.3% concordance between laboratory technician readings and the reference centre. Trials using RDT showed that the OptiMAL test was more efficient with 97.2% sensibility, 95.4% specificity and 93% concordance in comparison with thick smear. A program of training, refresher courses, and regular didactic supervision (quality control) for laboratory technicians has been set up in Mali under the sponsorship of the "Fondation Mérieux" (ACTION BIOMALI) and the President's Malaria Initiative (PMI). These institutions provide funding for training as well as equipment and consumables in all public medical laboratories in Mali. The thick smear method is still being used as the reference technique, but use of RDT is to be implemented at all levels of the health care pyramid.