Laser-Induced Autofluorescence Technique for Plasmodium falciparum Parasite Density Estimation

Abstract

Malaria parasites, Plasmodium falciparum (P.falciparum) infections are taking a great toll on the lives of people worldwide, especially in developing countries. Recently, haemozoin detection using optical techniques tends to provide comparable parasite densities (PDs) estimation. We conducted feasibility studies on P.falciparum infected blood (i-blood) and uninfected blood (u-blood) samples from volunteers employing laser-induced fluorescence technique for PDs estimation. Fluorescence results show high intensity in u-blood than i-blood. PeakFit analysis with Loess smoothing under Lorentzian curve shows that fluorescence peak of i-blood appears red-shifted with increasing PDs. The Lorentzian curves depict that fluorescence peak intensity ratio increases with increasing PDs in i-blood samples. This technique may be potentially applied in PDs estimation to improve malaria diagnosis.