What is a Malaria (Malarial Parasite) Test?

A malaria (malarial parasite) test result will indicate either a positive or negative result. A positive malaria test result indicates that your blood sample contains malarial infection. Similarly, a negative malaria test result means that you do not have malarial parasites in your blood. In the event of persisting symptoms or confusion, contact your healthcare advisor for further assessment or treatment. 

This malaria (malarial parasite) test may be required if you live in or have recently visited a region where malaria is common and you exhibit symptoms of malaria. A majority of patients develop symptoms within 14 days of being bitten by an infected female anopheles mosquito. The symptoms can appear as quickly as seven days or take over a year to appear.

A blood sample is taken from your arm by a healthcare professional. A solution of alcohol is used to clean the area. The procedure is then followed by insertion of a tiny needle with a tube connected to collect blood. The needle is removed once enough blood has been taken for examination. A gauze pad is then used to cover the wound.

It is a simple test that determines whether malarial parasites are present in your blood. A sample of your blood is examined using microscopy. A stain is applied to the sample prior to inspection to give the parasites a unique appearance. The gold standard for diagnosing malaria is microscopy in combination with Giemsa-stained parasites in a blood sample.

A malaria test can be performed using two different methods. One test is an antibody test, and the other is a microscope test. In a malaria antibody test, antibodies are detected in human serum against histidine (a malaria parasite protein). The principle of doing a microscopy test is to identify the Giemsa-stained malarial parasite on a blood smear under a microscope.

A negative malaria (malarial parasite) test result does not necessarily indicate that you do not have malaria. It is probable that the lack of malarial parasites in the peripheral blood film explains the negative results. If you continue to have malaria symptoms, your doctor may suggest a retest.

In most cases, there is no such thing as a typical malaria parasite count range. It is calculated based on the density of malarial parasites in a given volume of blood. One of the following words may appear in your lab test results:

• Negative or normal refers to the absence of the disease.
• Positive or abnormal indicates the presence of a disease.

Your test report may come as positive or negative. Kindly consult your physician for further analysis and final diagnosis. 

Thrombocytopenia is a condition characterised by low platelet count. There is strong evidence that malaria can cause a decrease in the platelet count. Thrombocytopenia induced by a malarial infection is due to the decreased life span in the peripheral blood. In addition, malaria-causing Plasmodium has been shown to interact with platelets.