Table 1. Characteristics of patients infected with Plasmodium falciparum at 2 hospitals, Eritrea*.
| Characteristic | Ghindae | Massawa | Overall |
|---|---|---|---|
| No. enrolled | 26 | 25 | 51 |
| Mean age, y (range) | 29.15 (10–60) | 29.08 (7–68) | 29.12 (7–68) |
| No. males:no. females (ratio) | 16:10 (1.6:1) | 13:12 (1.08:1) | 29: 22 (1.32:1) |
| Travel history outside area of residence, no. positive/no. tested | 2/26 | 3/25 | 5/51 |
| Clinical history in previous 2 weeks, no. positive/no. tested | |||
| Any malaria symptoms | 25/26 | 24/25 | 49/51 |
| Fever | 10/26 | 24/25 | 34/51 |
| Antimalarial treatment | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Microscopy results | |||
| No. P. falciparum positive | 26 | 25 | 50 |
| GM parasite density, parasites/μL (95% CI), [range] | 6,851 (3,490–13,448) [16–71,000] | 5,304 (2,620–10,734) [55–100,000] | 6,059 (3,782–9,705) [16–100,000] |
| PCR results | |||
| No. P. falciparum positive | 26 | 24 | 50 |
| No. P. vivax positive | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| RDT results | |||
| No. pan-pLDH positive | 26 | 25 | 51 |
| No. HRP-based P. falciparum positive | 5 | 14 | 19 |
| False-negative result for P. falciparum, % | 80.8 | 41.7 | 62.0 |
*GM, geometric mean; HRP2, histidine-rich protein 2; pLDH, Plasmodium lactate dehydrogenase; RDT, rapid diagnostic test.