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Malaria pigment crystals as magnetic micro-rotors: key for high-sensitivity diagnosis.

ABSTRACT: The need to develop new methods for the high-sensitivity diagnosis of malaria has initiated a global activity in medical and interdisciplinary sciences. Most of the diverse variety of emerging techniques are based on research-grade instruments, sophisticated reagent-based assays or rely on expertise. Here, we suggest an alternative optical methodology with an easy-to-use and cost-effective instrumentation based on unique properties of malaria pigment reported previously and determined quantitatively in the present study. Malaria pigment, also called hemozoin, is an insoluble microcrystalline form of heme. These crystallites show remarkable magnetic and optical anisotropy distinctly from any other components of blood. As a consequence, they can simultaneously act as magnetically driven micro-rotors and spinning polarizers in suspensions. These properties can gain importance not only in malaria diagnosis and therapies, where hemozoin is considered as drug target or immune modulator, but also in the magnetic manipulation of cells and tissues on the microscopic scale.

SUBMITTER: Butykai A

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3594758 | biostudies-literature | 2013

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Malaria pigment crystals as magnetic micro-rotors: key for high-sensitivity diagnosis.

Butykai A A Orbán A A Kocsis V V Szaller D D Bordács S S Tátrai-Szekeres E E Kiss L F LF Bóta A A Vértessy B G BG Zelles T T Kézsmárki I I

Scientific reports 20130101

The need to develop new methods for the high-sensitivity diagnosis of malaria has initiated a global activity in medical and interdisciplinary sciences. Most of the diverse variety of emerging techniques are based on research-grade instruments, sophisticated reagent-based assays or rely on expertise. Here, we suggest an alternative optical methodology with an easy-to-use and cost-effective instrumentation based on unique properties of malaria pigment reported previously and determined quantitati ...[more]

PMID: 23478535

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Project description:BackgroundMalaria in highland areas of Kenya affects children and adults. Local clinicians include symptoms other than fever when screening for malaria because they believe that fever alone does not capture all cases of malaria.MethodsIndividuals who presented to dispensaries in a highland Kenya site of low, unstable malaria transmission from 2007-2011 with 1 or more of 11 symptoms were tested by microscopy for malaria. Clinical malaria was defined as asexual Plasmodium falciparum infection on peripheral blood smear in an individual with any screening symptom. Asymptomatic P. falciparum infection was assessed in a cohort at ten time points to determine the extent to which symptomatic episodes with parasitaemia might be attributable to baseline (asymptomatic) parasitaemia in the community.Results3,420 individuals were screened for malaria, 634?<?5 years of age and 2,786???5 years of age. For the diagnosis of clinical malaria, the symptom of fever had a sensitivity and specificity of 88.9% and15.4% in children <5 years, and 55.8% and 54.4% in children ?5 years, respectively. Adding the symptom of headache increased sensitivity to 94. 4% in children <5 years and 96.8% in individuals ?5 years, but decreased specificity to 9.9% and 11.6%, respectively, and increased the number of individuals who would be tested by 6% and 92%, respectively. No combination of symptoms improved upon the presence fever or headache for detection of clinical malaria. In the cohort of asymptomatic individuals, P. falciparum parasitaemia was infrequent (0.1%).ConclusionIn areas of low, unstable malaria transmission, fever is a sensitive indicator of clinical malaria in children <5 years, but not in older children and adults. Adding headache to fever as screening symptom increases sensitivity of detection in individuals ?5 years old at the cost of decreased specificity. Screening for symptoms in addition to fever may be required to accurately capture all cases of clinical malaria in individuals ?5 years old in areas of low malaria transmission.

Dataset Information

Malaria pigment crystals as magnetic micro-rotors: key for high-sensitivity diagnosis.

Publications

Malaria pigment crystals as magnetic micro-rotors: key for high-sensitivity diagnosis.

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