Comparative performance of four malaria rapid diagnostic tests, vikia malaria Pf/Pan, meriline-meriscreen Pf/Pv/Pan, right sign malaria Pf/Pan, and right sign malaria Pf, among febrile patients in Gabon

Abstract

Introduction: Rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) are selected based on their performances. Here, we compared the diagnostic performance of different malaria RDTs. Methods: Febrile patients were tested for malaria using Vikia Malaria Pf/Pan, Meriline-Meriscreen Pf/Pv/Pan, Right Sign Malaria Pf/Pan, and Right Sign Malaria Pf RDTs at Melen Regional Hospital in Gabon. Results: In total, 120 of 274 tested children (43.8%) had malaria. The sensitivity was > 95% for all RDTs, while the specificity was > 85% for two tests. One test generated invalid tests (8%). Conclusions: Based on their performances, all tests except one may be recommended for malaria diagnosis.