MALARIAL PARASITE

Abstract

Objectives: To determine the slide positivity rate and to document the different species of malarial parasite at district Shikarpur,Sindh, Pakistan. D e s i g n : A retrospective study. Setting: This study was conducted at district Malaria control centre Shikarur with collaborationof Pathology Department CMC Larkana and Leishmaniaisis/Mosquito Zoology Lab: University of Balochistan Quetta overthe period of one yeari.e. 2006. Patients a n d M e t h o d s : During the study period blood smears were prepared from the suspected cases of malaria. The patients withdifferentiated fever referred from various areas of Shikarpur District by general practitioners, basic health units, rural health centres and talukahospitals were included in the study for confirmation of malaria. The parasites were identified by using Giemsa stained thick and thin smearsfollowing Mansen-Bahar and Bell, 1987. Results: During the study period total of 67550 Blood smears were examined irrespective of age andse and 740 were confirmed for malarial parasites, giving an overall slide positivity rate of 1.09%. Plasmodium falciparum was identified in 267(36.08%) cases and Plasmodium vivax in 473 (63.92%) cases. C o n c l u s i o n : The slide positivity rate of malarial parasite in this study was 1.09%and Plasmodium vivax found as most predominant species in this part of the world