Table 3.
Factors Associated With Blood Smear Results for Patients Who Tested Positive in the Pan-Plasmodium Assay
| Patient Data | Pan-Plasmodium Assay Positive | Univariate | Multivariable Analysisa | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blood Smear Positive n (%) | Blood Smear Negative n (%) | P Value | Odds (Ln) | Standard Error | P Value | |
| Number, nb | 71 | 72 | ||||
| Gender, female | 36 (50.70) | 40 (55.56) | — | |||
| Age, years, mean (SD) | 5.75 (3.40) | 5.59 (3.34) | — | |||
| Days postsymptom onset, mean (SD) | 2.52 (1.29) | 2.56 (0.69) | — | |||
| Study Site | <.001 | |||||
| Chulaimbo Health Center | 36 (50.7) | 12 (16.7) | ||||
| Obama Children’s Hospital | 9 (12.7) | 6 (8.3) | ||||
| Msambweni District Hospital | 21 (29.6) | 22 (30.6) | ||||
| Ukunda Health Center | 5 (7.0) | 32 (44.4) | −2.43c | 0.60 | <.001 | |
| History of malaria | 67 (94.4) | 51 (70.8) | <.001 | 1.49 | 0.64 | .020 |
| Signs and Symptoms | ||||||
| Tachycardia | 15 (21.1) | 4 (5.6) | .007 | 0.49 | 0.62 | .431 |
| Headache | 39 (54.9) | 36 (50.0) | — | 1.34 | 0.47 | .004 |
| Abdominal pain | 15 (21.1) | 28 (38.9) | .028 | −0.83 | 0.50 | .099 |
Abbreviations: DNA, deoxyribonucleic acid; rtPCR, real-time polymerase chain reaction; SD, standard deviation.
aResults displayed for variables that remained in the best-fit model.
bMicroscopy results available for 143 patients with Plasmodium DNA detected by rtPCR.
cCoded for multivariable analysis as “Ukunda Health Center” versus “Other”.