Performance of a rapid antigen test for the diagnosis of congenital malaria

OBJECTIVE: To assess the performance of OptiMAL, a rapid malaria antigen capture dipstick, in diagnosing congenital malaria. METHODS: Live newborns aged 0-3 days, delivered at Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital, Sagamu, Nigeria between August 2004 and January 2005, were screened for malaria parasitaemia with an immunochromatographic test (OptiMAL) and blood film microscopy. OptiMAL detects plasmodium lactate dehydrogenase (pLDH). RESULTS: Twenty-one of 192 newborns (10.9%) were diagnosed with congenital malaria by blood film microscopy. The OptiMAL test was negative in all infants. CONCLUSION: OptiMAL rapid malaria antigen capture dipstick might not be useful for diagnosing malaria parasitaemia in newborns. Blood film microscopy remains the gold standard for the diagnosis of congenital malaria.