HORIBA Medical Delivers Malaria Screening in Routine Hematology

The Malaria flag of HORIBA Medical delivers a Suspicion Malaria Infection screening performed on regular use on hematology analyzers. With this new flag, HORIBA Medical strives to contribute to tomorrow’s health for a Malaria-free world.

HORIBA Medical offers effective malaria screening technique in routine hematology. The Malaria flag of HORIBA Medical delivers a Suspicion Malaria Infection screening performed on hematology analyzers. This may help health professionals and biologists to identify malaria cases much faster.//

“In 2016, 91 countries reported a total of 216 million cases of malaria, an increase of 5 million cases over the previous year. The global tally of malaria deaths reached 445 000 deaths, about the same number reported in 2015.

Malaria - Protection Strategies
Malaria is a dangerous disease with lethal consequences that requires protective measures for prevention and control of malaria in endemic regions of the world.

‘Early and accurate diagnosis of malaria is important for rapid and effective disease management and surveillance. The Malaria flag of HORIBA Medical delivers a cost-effective and much faster malaria screening technique performed on hematology analyzers. With this new flag, HORIBA Medical aims to contribute to tomorrow’s health for a Malaria-free world.’
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Although malaria case incidence has fallen globally since 2010, the rate of decline has stalled and even reversed in some regions since 2014. Mortality rates have followed a similar pattern.

Early and accurate diagnosis of malaria is essential for both rapid and effective disease management and surveillance. High-quality malaria diagnosis is important in all settings as misdiagnosis can result in significant morbidity and mortality. ”

The proportion of febrile children presenting for treatment is mainly taking place in Public Health facilities (from 2013-2015, 35-50 % febrile children presented in sub-Saharan Africa countries).

Malaria - Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis, Prevention, Treatment
Malaria is caused by a parasite that enters blood through the bite of an infected mosquito. It is characterized by fever, vomiting, shivering, sweating and other symptoms.

With a clinical sensitivity and specificity reaching 80 percent data results performed on P. vivax and P. falciparum, the Malaria flag of HORIBA Medical delivers a Suspicion Malaria Infection screening provided on routine use on hematology analyzers. It is combined with the hematology Whole Blood Count and not a separate test with additional costs.

This Suspicion Malaria flag is generated by a complex algorithm using the 'data mining' technique based on the analysis of many analytical variables of the complete hemogram and not only variables of the automated formula.

New Blood Test to Measure Antibodies Against Malaria Developed
A promising new tool to measure antibodies against malaria using a small amount of blood has been developed by researchers at the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGLOBAL). The test assesses natural and vaccine-induced responses to malaria and other parasites.

The Malaria flag is used as a screening test and invites the biologist to implement the usual laboratory techniques for the diagnosis of malaria.

Malaria-endemic regions are usually economically challenged and extremely cost conscious, where accessible, dependable diagnostic methods are urgently needed.

New Mosquito Net can Protect Children from Malaria
A novel mosquito net treated with piperonyl butoxide, a chemical that blocks the mosquito’s natural defense mechanisms has been developed to tackle the spread of malaria.

The Suspicion Malaria Flag option is now available on Pentra XLR range and, hence, offers a cost-effective and fast malaria screening.

Since complete blood count (CBC) and leukocyte differential count (DIF) are the basic, most common tests in clinical laboratories, hematology analyzers that can screen for the presence of malaria parasites are a great boon for both potentially malaria-infected patients and today's busy diagnostic labs.

HORIBA hematology systems combine microsampling, efficiency, robust technology, intuitive software with the great advantage of high throughput (rapid one-minute whole blood testing) at costs lower than other methods, such as microscopic examination.

The Malaria Flag option will also be available on Pentra XL and Yumizen H500/550 range soon. With this new flag, HORIBA Medical aims to contribute to tomorrow’s health for a Malaria-free world.

The Pentra XLR is a compact 5 part DIFF and reliable hematology analyzer incorporating full reticulocyte parameters to facilitate the investigation and diagnosis of hemopoiesis and anemia. As the latest addition to the Pentra family, the XLR brings HORIBA’s gold standard reticulocyte technology with STAT capabilities to a smaller platform. This makes it ideal for space-restricted laboratories or those with a smaller workload that does not want to compromise on quality.

This reliable, easy-to-use analyzer with integrated PC eliminates manual methods to enhance laboratory productivity and ensure standardization of the reticulocyte count.

Furthermore, the Pentra XLR’s large capacity auto-loader and ability to process 80 samples per hour, combined with an auto rerun, Customized Dilution Ratio (CDR) and automatic validation, all enable a hands-off approach. This means users can dedicate their valuable time to results analysis and more specialized investigations.

Providing a high degree of flexibility, the Pentra XLR has a microsampling system requiring only 53µl of blood for FBC and 35µl for full reticulocyte analysis making it ideal for pediatric or other small samples.

The reticulocyte channel utilizes Thiazole Orange technology, providing a full maturity profile in addition to a highly accurate reticulocyte count. It is also compatible with ABX Pentra ML data management, facilitating simple integration into existing systems.

The Pentra XLR is built on the same proven reticulocyte technology as HORIBA’s higher throughput Pentra analyzers, ensuring quality and full compatibility of results and reagents. With three quality control levels for all parameters, this robust and reliable platform also provides complete data traceability on-board and integrated validation to ensure total peace of mind for the user.

The Pentra XLR enhances laboratory productivity, flexibility, and quality, adding value to any hematology laboratory.

Source-Medindia