Malarial Falciparum and Vivax Antigen

The Malarial Falciparum and Vivax antigen test detects malaria antigens in the blood sample. Identification of malarial parasite by thick and thin smears is considered as the gold standard for the diagnosis of this infection. However, antigen-based rapid diagnostic tests play an important role in those places where there is lack of microscopes and trained technicians.

The Malarial Falciparum and Vivax antigen test is a rapid diagnostic test which detects the presence of malarial antigen in the blood sample. Malaria is an infectious disease which is caused by a species of Plasmodium parasite. It is transmitted by the bite of an infected mosquito (female anopheles). The species which cause infections in humans include Plasmodium Vivax, Plasmodium malariae, Plasmodium ovale, and Plasmodium falciparum. 

This malarial infection may rarely pass from a woman to her baby during pregnancy, labor, or delivery. Also, the chances of the spread of infection are very low through blood transfusion, sharing of contaminated needles or syringes, and organ transplant. 

When an infected mosquito bites a person, the parasites enter into the blood and travel to the liver. After a person is infected it takes about 7-30 days for the eggs to mature. The parasites enter the red blood cells of a person where they multiply inside these cells. These cells burst within 48 to 72 hours which leads to the occurrence of symptoms of malaria. 

The disease can relapse in case the infection is caused by P. vivax and P. ovale species. This is because these parasites can remain inoperative in the liver before they enter again into the blood and may take up to months and even years for the symptoms to appear.

If the malarial infection is not treated, it can cause severe illness and even death. The species likely to cause life-threatening disease is P. falciparum.