Summary The measurement of parasite lactate dehydrogenase (pLDH) has been presented as an easy and rapid method for the diagnosis of malaria in humans. In order to evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of such a test we examined blood samples from 429 Ugandan patients. While pLDH activity was significantly linked to parasitaemia, sensitivity and specificity were found to be rather low at 58.8 and 62.2% respectively. The positive and negative predictive values failed to meet necessary standards. We conclude that the methods of measurement of pLDH activity in malaria infection, although potentially useful for the fast diagnosis of malaria, need to be improved to be of true value in endemic areas.
Journal Article Comparison of two rapid, HRP2-based diagnostic tests for Plasmodium falciparum Get access A.H.D. Kilian, A.H.D. Kilian 1GTZ Basic Health Services Western Uganda, Fort Portal, Uganda2Department of Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine, University of Munich, Munich, Germany Address for correspondence: Albert Kilian, GTZ, P.O. Box 27, Fort Portal, Uganda; phone/fax +256 483 22743. akilian@imul.com Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic PubMed Google Scholar E.B. Mughusu, E.B. Mughusu 1GTZ Basic Health Services Western Uganda, Fort Portal, Uganda Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic PubMed Google Scholar G. Kabagambe, G. Kabagambe 3District Health Services, Kabarole District, Uganda Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic PubMed Google Scholar F. von Sonnenburg F. von Sonnenburg 2Department of Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine, University of Munich, Munich, Germany Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic PubMed Google Scholar Transactions of The Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, Volume 91, Issue 6, November-December 1997, Pages 666–667, https://doi.org/10.1016/S0035-9203(97)90514-9 Published: 01 November 1997 Article history Received: 25 June 1997 Revision received: 23 July 1997 Accepted: 23 July 1997 Published: 01 November 1997
