The correlation between platelet count and parasite density in children with malaria infection
Journal Title: Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Disease - Year 2016, Vol 6, Issue 3
Abstract
Objective: To assess the correlation between platelet count and parasite density. Methods: A cross-sectional study of febrile children was conducted in Batubara Regency, North Sumatra, Indonesia. We used rapid diagnostic tests and blood smears to identify children with malaria infection. Platelet counts and measurement of parasite density were performed manually using a microscope. Results: A total of 72 children with positive malaria infection were enrolled in the study. Sixty one children had Plasmodium vivax, two children had Plasmodium falciparum, and nine children had mixed infection. The mean platelet count from all patients was (230 940.00 ± 96 611.53)/µL and the mean parasite density was (2 254.83 ± 1 432.55)/µL. There was a weak negative correlation between the platelet count and the parasitemia count (r = –0.145). The platelet count in the mixed infection group was significantly lower [(175 444.44 ± 48 093.95)/ µL] than that in the vivax malaria group [(231 927.87 ± 99 475.28)/µL] (P = 0.024). Children with splenomegaly had a significantly lower platelet count [(189 655.56 ± 80 115.76)/µL versus (245 230.77 ± 98 380.74)/µL, P = 0.04] and a higher parasite density [(3 635.78 ± 1 623.70)/µL versus (1 789.88 ± 927.29)/µL, P < 0.000 1] than those without splenomegaly. Conclusions: There was a weak negative correlation between the platelet count and parasite count.
Comparison between active surveillance and passive detection of zoonotic cutaneous leishmaniasis in endemic rural areas in Central Tunisia, 2009 to 2014
Objective: To assess the contribution of active surveillance of zoonotic cutaneous leishmaniasis (ZCL) in rural areas in Sidi Bouzid from 2009 to 2014 in comparison with the passive case detection, and describe the patte...
Prescription pattern of clinicians in private health facilities in Kano, Northwestern Nigeria
Objective: To evaluate the prescription pattern of clinicians in private health care facilities in Kano, Northwestern Nigeria. Methods: One thousand prescriptions from ten private health facilities in Kano were evaluated...
Rethinking dogma: an Asian case report of streptobacillary rat-bite fever
Rat-bite fever (RBF) is a rare but potentially fatal zoonotic disease that has resurfaced in literature from time to time. RBF has conventionally been attributed to Streptobacillus moniliformis in the Western World and S...
Hyponatremia in malaria-experience in tertiary hospital from India
Objective: To determine the prevalence of hyponatremia and its association with severity and species of malaria. Methods: This is a prospective study, done at Father Muller Charitable Hospital Mangalore, in Karnataka, In...
Mosquitocidal properties of Morinda citrifolia L. (Noni) (Family: Rubiaceae) leaf extract and Metarhizium anisopliae against malaria vector, Anopheles stephensi Liston. (Diptera: Culicidae)
Objective: To evaluate the mosquito larvicidal and pupicidal activity of the ethanolic extracts from Morinda citrifolia (M. citrifolia) plant and entomopathogenic fungi Metarhizium anisopliae (M. anisopliae) against mala...