A Novel Malaria Lateral Flow Assay for Detecting Plasmodium falciparum Lactate Dehydrogenase in Busia, Uganda.

Rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) for Plasmodium falciparum commonly detect histidine-rich protein 2 (HRP-2), but HRP-2 deletions are increasingly recognized. We evaluated a prototype test detecting parasite lactate dehydrogenase (pLDH) and compared it to commercially available RDTs at a health facility in Uganda, using quantitative polymerase chain reaction as a gold standard. The prototype pLDH test had a high sensitivity for infections with at least 100 parasites/µL (98%), comparable to HRP-2, and greater than an existing pLDH RDT (89%).

Plasmodium malariae infections as a cause of febrile disease in an area of high Plasmodium falciparum transmission intensity in Eastern Uganda.

Background: Plasmodium falciparum is responsible for the vast majority of (severe) clinical malaria cases in most African settings. Other Plasmodium species often go undiagnosed but may still have clinical consequences.

Case Presentation: Here, five cases of Plasmodium malariae infections from Eastern Uganda (aged 2-39 years) are presented.