Features Partner Sites Information LinkXpress hp
Sign In
Advertise with Us
LGC Clinical Diagnostics

Download Mobile App




Plasma Biomarkers Predict Severity of Malaria Infection

By LabMedica International staff writers
Posted on 29 Sep 2010
Two biomarkers have been found suitable to assess the severity of malaria in travelers returning with the disease.

The diagnostic accuracy of plasma soluble Triggering Receptor Expressed on Myeloid cells 1 (TREM-1), neopterin and procalcitonin levels as biomarkers for severe Plasmodium falciparum disease was evaluated. Neopterin belongs to the chemical group known as pteridines and procalcitonin is a peptide precursor of the hormone calcitonin. Both substances are involved in the systemic proinflammatory response of the host to invading pathogens.

In a study carried at the Erasmus Medical Center (Rotterdam, the Netherlands), levels of the biomarkers for severe P. falciparum disease was evaluated in 104 travelers with imported malaria. Twenty-six patients had non-P. falciparum malaria, 64 patients were with uncomplicated P. falciparum malaria and 14 patients had severe P. falciparum malaria). The diagnostic performance of TREM-1, procalcitonin and neopterin for malaria disease severity was compared with that of plasma lactate, which is routinely measured in returning travelers who are ill.

Malaria was diagnosed by Quantitative Buffy Coat analysis, by a rapid diagnostic antigen test for malaria and by conventional microscopy of stained thick and thin blood smears. TREM-1 and neopterin levels were determined in serum samples using commercially available enzyme-linked immunoassay (ELISA) tests. Procalcitonin levels in serum samples were determined using a commercially available enzyme immunoassay test. Normal serum values are <100 pg/mL for TREM-1, <3 ng/mL for neopterin and < 0.1 ng/mL for procalcitonin.

Patients with severe P. falciparum malaria had significantly higher neopterin and procalcitonin levels on admission when compared to patients with uncomplicated P. falciparum malaria or non-P. falciparum malaria. No significant differences in TREM-1 levels were detected between the different patient groups. At a cut-off point of 10.0 ng/mL, neopterin had a positive and negative predictive value of 0.38 and 0.98, whereas procalcitonin, at a cut-off point of 0.9 ng/mL, had a positive and negative predictive value of 0.30 and 1.00. The study was published online in September 14, 2010, in the Malaria Journal.

Although the diagnostic value of neopterin and procalcitonin is limited, the high negative predictive value of both neopterin and procalcitonin may be helpful for a rapid exclusion of severe malaria disease on admission. This may be a valuable tool for physicians only occasionally dealing with returned travelers from malaria-endemic regions and who need to decide on subsequent oral antimalarial treatment or timely referral to a specialized center for high-level monitoring and intensified parenteral treatment.

Related Links:
Erasmus Medical Center



Gold Member
Fully Automated Cell Density/Viability Analyzer
BioProfile FAST CDV
Verification Panels for Assay Development & QC
Seroconversion Panels
New
Bordetella Pertussis Molecular Assay
Alethia Pertussis
New
Toxoplasma Gondii Immunoassay
Toxo IgM AccuBind ELISA Kit
Read the full article by registering today, it's FREE! It's Free!
Register now for FREE to LabMedica.com and get access to news and events that shape the world of Clinical Laboratory Medicine.
  • Free digital version edition of LabMedica International sent by email on regular basis
  • Free print version of LabMedica International magazine (available only outside USA and Canada).
  • Free and unlimited access to back issues of LabMedica International in digital format
  • Free LabMedica International Newsletter sent every week containing the latest news
  • Free breaking news sent via email
  • Free access to Events Calendar
  • Free access to LinkXpress new product services
  • REGISTRATION IS FREE AND EASY!
Click here to Register








Channels

Immunology

view channel
Image: The cancer stem cell test can accurately choose more effective treatments (Photo courtesy of University of Cincinnati)

Stem Cell Test Predicts Treatment Outcome for Patients with Platinum-Resistant Ovarian Cancer

Epithelial ovarian cancer frequently responds to chemotherapy initially, but eventually, the tumor develops resistance to the therapy, leading to regrowth. This resistance is partially due to the activation... Read more

Microbiology

view channel
Image: The lab-in-tube assay could improve TB diagnoses in rural or resource-limited areas (Photo courtesy of Kenny Lass/Tulane University)

Handheld Device Delivers Low-Cost TB Results in Less Than One Hour

Tuberculosis (TB) remains the deadliest infectious disease globally, affecting an estimated 10 million people annually. In 2021, about 4.2 million TB cases went undiagnosed or unreported, mainly due to... Read more

Pathology

view channel
Image: The ready-to-use DUB enzyme assay kits accelerate routine DUB activity assays without compromising data quality (Photo courtesy of Adobe Stock)

Sensitive and Specific DUB Enzyme Assay Kits Require Minimal Setup Without Substrate Preparation

Ubiquitination and deubiquitination are two important physiological processes in the ubiquitin-proteasome system, responsible for protein degradation in cells. Deubiquitinating (DUB) enzymes contain around... Read more

Technology

view channel
Image: The HIV-1 self-testing chip will be capable of selectively detecting HIV in whole blood samples (Photo courtesy of Shutterstock)

Disposable Microchip Technology Could Selectively Detect HIV in Whole Blood Samples

As of the end of 2023, approximately 40 million people globally were living with HIV, and around 630,000 individuals died from AIDS-related illnesses that same year. Despite a substantial decline in deaths... Read more

Industry

view channel
Image: The collaboration aims to leverage Oxford Nanopore\'s sequencing platform and Cepheid\'s GeneXpert system to advance the field of sequencing for infectious diseases (Photo courtesy of Cepheid)

Cepheid and Oxford Nanopore Technologies Partner on Advancing Automated Sequencing-Based Solutions

Cepheid (Sunnyvale, CA, USA), a leading molecular diagnostics company, and Oxford Nanopore Technologies (Oxford, UK), the company behind a new generation of sequencing-based molecular analysis technologies,... Read more
Copyright © 2000-2025 Globetech Media. All rights reserved.