Alere Malaria Ag P.f / Image: Codix
According to a recent Healio article, a new diagnostic test for malaria infections is ten times better at detecting the antigen than what’s currently available. The test, Alere’s Malaria Ag P.f, detects the histidine-rich protein II antigen of Plasmodium falciparum, and can do so in patients with very low parasitemia who might not have identifiable symptoms yet.
The test produces results from human whole blood samples in just 20 minutes, and was granted the CE mark of approval late last year. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation funded the development of the device; Alere is also working with PATH and FIND to determine the public health value of the test.
