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Anopheles Freebornifreeborni Courtesycourtesy Plasmodia AnophelesAnopheles freebornifreeborni CourtesyCourtesy Plasmodia seen with the microscope M. Lontie, MCH, Leuven, 2012 Diagnosis of malaria • Thin film (better for species identification). •Thick film (more sensitive). • QBC (quantitative buffy coat, BD). • Antigen-detection. • Molecular methods (New Microbiol. 2001. 24:69.). • Serology. • (Platelet count: low in case of severe P. falciparum infection). Thick film • Blood (finger, tube), no anticoagulants. • Immediately after sampling. • Defibrination (at least during one minute). •Not too thick. • Allow drying. • Quality of the water (pH). • Also for Babesia, Borrelia, Trypanosoma, filaria … (last pictures). U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. Courtesy Peters W. & Gilles H.M. Thick film Only with disposable fingerstick devices (Acta Clinica Belgica. 2005. 60:63-69.). Can also be made with blood with anticoagulants (EDTA). Allow then much longer drying. Thick film made with EDTA blood Diagnosis of malaria • 1 parasite / 100 000 rbc = fever (non- immune person). • 100 000 rbc in a thin film = 30 min. • Thick film = concentration technique. • Thick film = 10 to 30 times more sensitive than thin film. • Thick film = 3 to 5 (10) min. U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. Diagnosis of malaria • 1 parasite / 100 000 rbc = fever (non-immune person) = 25 - 50 parasites / μl. • Tolerance in immune persons = 5 000 - 10 000 (100 000) parasites / μl. • Cerebral malaria in children (P. falciparum): 1 000 000 parasites / μl associated with fatal issue. (Wéry, 1995). Thick - thin film, objective 100 x 10 000 wbc, 5 000 000 rbc Giemsa May-Grünwald-Giemsa 100 fields 100 fields 0.25 μl / 10 min 0.01 μl / 10 min 2500 wbc 100 wbc 1 250 000 rbc 50 000 rbc one = 4 parasites / μl one = 100 parasites / μl 50 / μl = fever in non- 50 / μl = fever in non- immune = 12.5 / film immune = 0.5 / film Wéry M. 1995. Protozoologie Médicale. Diagnosis of malaria • Geographical distribution of different species should be taken into account. • Plasmodium falciparum limited to (sub-) tropical areas (summer isotherm of 20°C, altitude < 2000 m). • Mixed infections are not uncommon (eg P. falciparum + P. ovale in West Africa). Duffy blood group system = receptor P. vivax West & Central Africa East Africa Duffy bg: absent Duffy bg: present Plasmodium ovale Plasmodium vivax Wéry M. 1995. Protozoologie Médicale. MALARIA (vivax) (malariae) (falciparum) vivax (vivax) falciparum malariae malariae vivax falciparum ovale falciparum ovale vivax malariae According to M. Wéry, 1995 Malaria: antigens • HRP-2: watersoluble histidine-rich protein from axesual stages and young gametocytes of P. falciparum (related to knob-associated HRP-1 and HRP-3). • Pan-malarial antigen: pLDH or aldolase, present in all four Plasmodium spp. A. Moody. 2002. CMR, 15:66-78. Malaria antigen (HRP2) detection Sensitivity: 50-100 (and less) parasites / µL. False negatives due to very high parasitemias. Diagnosis of malaria antigen- detection • Persistent positivity with gametocytes (JCM, 2001, 1025). • PMA is expressed by P. malariae (JCM, 2001, 2035). • Moody A. 2002. CMR, 15:66-78. Rapid diagnostic tests for malaria parasites (review). Lee N. et al. 2006. JCM., 44:2773-2778. Effect of sequence variation in Plasmodium falciparum histidine-rich protein 2 on binding of specific monoclonal antibodies: implications for rapid diagnostic tests for malaria. • Sequence variation can help to explain the variations in the performance of HRP-based RDTs and point toward possible solutions. Prozone in 16 of 17 HRP-2 based RDTs P. Gillet. 2011. Dissertation at the Maastricht University. Malaria antigen detection Prozone:Prozone how to avoid? Always have a look at the thick film Perform always HRP2 & LDH or aldolase If low platelets look a “secondsecond” time at the thick film Species-specific PCR diagnosis of malaria (CDC) 1. P. vivax 2. P. malariae 3. P. falciparum 4. P. ovale Two step nested PCR using the primers of Snounou et al. CDC, 2001. Detection of four Plasmodium species in blood from humans by 18S rRNA gene subunit-based and species-specific real time PCR assays Rougemont M. et al. 2004. JCM, 42:5636-5643. Malaria serology • Only P. falciparum cultivated in vitro. • To exclude malaria e.g. among travellers. • Blood donation from travellers. • For epidemiological reasons. Wéry M., 1995. Malaria: staining procedures used • Thick film: Giemsa staining. • Thin film: May-Grünwald staining. Inexpensive method of diluting Giemsa stain • Petithory J.C. et al. 2005. JCM, 43:528. 29 bottles of Evian water. pH: 7.36 Ready to use and stable for weeks. pH 7.2 = optimal pH 6.4 – 6.8: less coloured parasites and stippling pH 7.6: stronger coloured parasites and stippling UK NEQAS Parasitology on the web • Why is malariology so difficult? I firmly believe that knowledge and experience arises from constant practice and exposure to a wide variety of different forms of the parasites. • The other problem is that no two strains of the same parasite are identical; intra-species variation is a characteristic of the malarial parasite. Diagnosis of malaria • Percentage of infected red blood cells. • Ring stage. • Trophozoite (growing ring stage). • Schizont: number of merozoites: 2 (young) -24. • Gametocytes: shape (crescentic ot rounded). • Dots: James, Schüffner, Maurer. • Pigment: P. malariae, P. ovale ... • Atypical elements. U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. Parasitized RBC • All: Plasmodium falciparum. • Young (reticulocytes, larger rbc): Plasmodium ovale and Plasmodium vivax. • Old (smaller rbc): Plasmodium malariae. Gentilini & Duflo. 1986. Plasmodium falciparum vivax ovale malariae RBC + > 40 % 2 % 2 % 1 % RBC normal enlarged enlarged smaller Maurer’s Schüffner’s Schüffner’s spots dots dots, oval fimbriated Ring 1, 2 / rbc 1 / rbc 1 (2) / rbc 1 / rbc with two nuclei Trofozoite not in ameboid ameboid band shape peripheral pigment pigment blood Schizont not in (2), 16-24 (2), 8-10 (2), 6-8 peripheral merozoites merozoites merozoites blood Gametocyte crescentic rounded rounded rounded Courtesy Tulane Sharing Plasmodium knowlesi? • White N. 2004. Sharing malarias. Lancet:1006. •Singh B. et al. 2004. Lancet: 1017-1024. Monkey malaria in 120 humans in 2000-2002 in Malaysian Borneo by PCR (by microscopy P. malariae). Plasmodium knowlesi: the fifth human malaria parasite. N. J. White. 2008. CID 46:172-173. Island of Borneo, Malaysia. Plasmodium falciparum in thick film Courtesy U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare. 1960. Plasmodium falciparum: thick film with numerous small rings. Plasmodium falciparum: thick film with numerous rings. Plasmodium falciparum: ring in a thick film. Plasmodium falciparum: ring and crescentic gametocyte in a thick film. Plasmodium falciparum: two crescentic gametocytes in a thick film. Plasmodium falciparum in thin film Courtesy U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare. 1960. Courtesy Lamy L.H. Plasmodium falciparum: two rings and Maurer’s spots in a thin film. Plasmodium falciparum: four rings in a thin film. Plasmodium falciparum: small young ring in a thin film. Plasmodium falciparum: two « accolé » forms in one cell in a thin film. Plasmodium falciparum: several rings, two in one red blood cell in a thin film. Plasmodium falciparum: three rings in one red blood cell, ring with two nuclei, « accolé » form, two red blood cells with small rings in a thin film. Plasmodium falciparum: numerous rings, three in one red blood cell in a thin film. Plasmodium falciparum: numerous rings, four in one red blood cell in a thin film. Plasmodium falciparum: numerous rings in a thin film. Plasmodium falciparum: two small, and one « accolé-like » rings in a thin film. Plasmodium falciparum: with very dark pigment collected in one small, dense block in a thin film. Plasmodium falciparum: with very dark pigment collected in one small, dense block and in the process of initial chromatin division in a thin film. Plasmodium falciparum: schizont in cord blood in a thin film. Plasmodium falciparum: schizont with clumped pigment in peripheral blood. This is seen only in heavy infections (thin film). Plasmodium falciparum: two rings and one gametocyte (thin film). Plasmodium falciparum: one crescentic gametocyte, about 1.5 times diameter of erythrocyte in length (thin film). Plasmodium falciparum: two crescentic gametocytes (thin film). Plasmodium vivax in thin film Courtesy U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare. 1960. Courtesy Lamy L.H. Plasmodium vivax: ring with Schüffner’s stippling (thick film). Plasmodium vivax: trophozoite with Schüffner’s stippling (thick film). Plasmodium vivax: young schizont, ameboid trophozoites and rings (thin film). Plasmodium vivax: older ring and ameboid trophozoite (thin film). Plasmodium vivax: older ring and ameboid trophozoite both with Schüffner’s stippling (thin film). Plasmodium vivax: three ameboid trophozoites in a thin film. Plasmodium vivax: ameboid (vivax) trophozoite (thin film). Plasmodium vivax: ameboid trophozoite, gametocyte and Schüffner’s dots (thin film). Plasmodium vivax: gametocyte (thin film). Plasmodium vivax: three gametocytes (thin film). Plasmodium vivax: schizont with many merozoites in an enlarged red blood cell (thin film). Plasmodium vivax: schizont with many merozoites (thin film). Plasmodium vivax: schizont with many merozoites (thin film). Plasmodium vivax: mature schizont with many (19) merozoites (thin film). Plasmodium vivax: disrupted schizont with many merozoites (thin film). Plasmodium vivax: disrupted schizont (thin film).
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