The United Kingdom National External Quality Assessment Service for parasitology: toxoplasma serology scheme (original) (raw)
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Philippine Journal of Pathology
Background. The Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM)-National Reference Laboratory (NRL) for Malaria and Other Parasites, mandated by the Department of Health-Philippines (DOH), administers an annual Proficiency Test (PT) in diagnostic medical parasitology to clinical laboratories throughout the Philippines through the National External Quality Assessment Scheme (NEQAS). The PT in Parasitology aims to monitor and evaluate the capability of Philippine laboratories in the identification of blood and intestinal parasites, and the estimation of malaria parasite density in malaria-infected blood films. As of 2018, participation in the NEQAS is an annual requirement by the Department of Health-Health Facilities and Services Regulatory Bureau (DOH-HFSRB) for each clinical laboratory to obtain a license to operate. Objective. This report aims to summarize the results of the PT for Parasitology and assess the performance of participating laboratories in malaria and fecal parasite microscopy from 2009 to 2015. Methodology. RITM-NRL oriented clinical laboratories in the NEQAS in 2008. Laboratories submitted their accomplished enrolment forms to RITM-NRL and paid fees to enroll in the PT in 2009 to 2015. Participating laboratories identified the species of malaria in blood films and the parasite/s in formalin-preserved fecal specimens. Estimation of parasite density in malaria blood films was performed as well. Results. One thousand five hundred forty (1,540) laboratories participated from 2009 to 2015. Mean and median scores in all seven years were below the cutoff score of 80. Schistosoma japonicum was the most difficult to identify with only 7.7% of laboratories having correct identification result. Majority of participants from 2010 to 2014 gave malaria parasite density estimates outside the acceptable range. Conclusion. Most participating laboratories performed poorly in the proficiency tests over the last seven years. Training and refresher courses for laboratorians are recommended in order to address the poor performance in the laboratory diagnosis of parasitic infections, especially the endemic and uncommon ones, in the country
Toluidine blue: rapid and simple malaria parasite screening and species identification
The Pan African medical journal, 2017
Malaria, a febrile illness mostly confined to the tropical countries is transmitted by bite of infected female Anopheles mosquito. In 2015 alone, 88% of the malaria burden and 90% deaths due to malaria were confined to the African and Asian countries. Although number of tests are available for rapid diagnosis and screening for malaria, peripheral blood smear examination remains the gold standard. Leishman stain is recommended by WHO however herein we evaluate one of the alternative methods of staining which is simple and rapid. Fifty patients attending the various outpatient departments of the tertiary care hospital with fever and suspected to have malaria were selected. Two thin-air dried smears prepared from the peripheral venous blood from these subjects were stained by Leishman and Toluidine blue method. The findings of the slides by two independent qualified professionals were noted and the results were analyzed. A total of 14% (7/50) cases were diagnosed to have malaria. All t...
BMC Research Notes, 2014
Background: Microscopic diagnosis of Giemsa stained thick and thin blood films by skilled microscopists has remained the standard laboratory method for the diagnosis of malaria. However, detection and identification of malaria parasites require well trained laboratory personnel. The objective of the study was to evaluate the performance of laboratory technologists and technicians in detecting and identifying malaria parasites in Hawassa town, Southern Ethiopia. Methods: A cross-sectional study design was employed among a total of 80 laboratory professionals working in public and private health facilities. A standardized pre-validated slide panel and questionnaires were distributed to laboratory professionals working at eleven health facilities in Hawassa town, Southern Ethiopia. The panels included ten slides for diagnosis, [slide1:P.falciparum, 104/μl; slide 2:P.falciparum, 53404/μl; slide 3 and 4: mixed infection (both P. falciparum and P. vivax); slide 5:P.vivax, 23503/μl; slide 6:P.vivax, 400/μl; and slides 7, 8, 9 and 10: negative slides].
Survey of Clinical Laboratory Practices for Parasitic Diseases
Clinical Infectious Diseases, 2004
To gain knowledge about laboratory testing practices for parasitic diseases, in 2000 we surveyed 562 laboratories in 9 US states, and 455 (81%) responded. Most laboratories (59%) indicated that they send specimens off site for parasite screening, and most laboratories (89%) did not routinely test fecal specimens for Cryptosporidium species, Cyclospora cayetanensis, or microsporidia, unless testing for these organisms was specifically requested by a physician. Only 39 laboratories offered serological testing for Toxoplasma gondii, and most (78%) that had their results confirmed did so at national commercial laboratories rather than a Toxoplasma reference laboratory. Because most clinical laboratories do not routinely test fecal specimens for Cryptosporidium species, C. cayetanensis, or microsporidia, physicians must request specific testing for these organisms when they are clinically suspected; because of this lack of routine testing, it is difficult to estimate the true burden of disease due to these organisms. by guest on November 6, 2016 http://cid.oxfordjournals.org/ Downloaded from
Dependence of Malaria Detection and Species Diagnosis by Microscopy on Parasite Density
The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 2003
Giemsa-stained blood smears from each of 2,190 patients from Thai government-operated clinics on the Thailand-Myanmar border were independently examined by the on-duty microscopists at the clinics and by 2-3 research microscopists, each blinded to the clinics' and each other's reports. Using a strictly defined protocol, a consensus reference-standard blood smear interpretation for each sample was produced by the research microscopists. This result was compared with the clinic's diagnostic interpretation for the corresponding sample with respect to detection of parasitemia and diagnosis of infecting species. Reference-standard results reported parasitemia in 13.2% of the samples reported negative by the clinic. Reference-standard results were negative in 24.3% of the samples reported parasite-positive by the clinic. For samples in which both the reference-standard result and the clinic result reported parasitemia, species identification differed for 13.7% of the samples. The likelihood of parasite detection and correct diagnosis at the clinic varied in accordance with the referencestandard estimates of parasite density.
Laboratory Diagnosis of Selected Neglected Parasitic Diseases in the Philippines: Can we do better?
Acta medica Philippina, 2014
Published scientific papers and monographs containing epidemiology of selected neglected parasitic diseases in the Philippines were retrieved and reviewed. International standards on diagnosis and quality assurance were gathered from journal articles and documents from the World Health Organization (WHO). Philippine policies and practices on diagnosis and quality assurance were obtained from the Department of Health (DOH), as well as key-informant interviews with the DOH Bureau of Health Facilities and Services (BHFS),
Selecting better diagnostic kits for diagnosis of malarial parasites at point of care
3 Biotech, 2019
Malaria is a fatal life-threatening parasitic infection and a leading cause of morbidity and mortality. The present study was aimed to evaluate simple, inexpensive, accurate, reliable, easily available better diagnostic for rapid detection of malaria at point of care (POC). The study includes 1403 samples collected from the patients, of which 1227 were clinically suspected cases and 176 from consecutive feverish patients. Among the suspected cases only 338 samples were confirmed positive and 889 samples were negative for Plasmodium species by PCR. All the 889 samples showed negative result for plasmodium species by microscopy, Malarial Ag rapid kits but only 867 samples were confirmed negative with malarial Ab rapid kits. Of the 338 PCR positive samples, 337 samples were confirmed positive by microscopy and Malarial Ag rapid kits, but only 284 samples were confirmed positive using malarial Ab rapid kits. Overall the microscopy and the malaria antigen-based lateral flow assay exhibited similar sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV and efficiency, respectively, whereas the PCR assay had 100% sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV and efficiency. But the evolutionary data for malaria antibody lateral flow assay has 92.81% sensitivity, 94.13% specificity, 84.02% PPV, 97.52% NPV and 93.80% efficiency. The developed Malaria pf/pv antigen and antibody field-deployable kits are simple, rapid, accurate, reliable, inexpensive, user friendly, POC. In addition the kits are highly sensitive and species-specific. The pf/pv antigen kit is found to be more accurate with 99.7% sensitivity and 100% specificity than to Malaria pf/pv antibody rapid kits. Of the two rapid kits developed, Malaria pf/pv antigen kit is found be more accurate with 99.7% sensitivity and 100% specificity than to Malaria pf/pv antibody rapid kits. Keywords Point of care (POC) • Immuno chromatographic test (ICT) • Plasmodium Lactate Dehydrogenase (pLDH) • Histidine Rich Protein II (HRPII) • Plasmodium falciparum (pf) • Plasmodium vivax (pv) • Antigen (Ag) • Antibody (Ab) • Rapid diagnostic test (RDT) • Polymerase chain reaction (PCR)