Study	Reason for exclusion
A‐Elgayoum 2009 (b)	Not a study of rapid diagnostic tests (compared usual with expert microscopy)
Abul 2000	Participants had cerebral malaria
Afzaal 2001	Review or narrative
Ahmad 2003	Eligibility unclear due to lack of published information
Anonymous 2005	Review or narrative
Ansah 2008	Eligibility unclear due to lack of published information
Araz 2000	Some participants did not have symptoms of malaria
Arcanjo 2007	European foreign language study
Arora 2003	Participants have severe or complicated malaria
Arrospide 2004	European foreign language study
Arrospide 2004 (a)	Majority of participants have no symptoms of malaria
Arrospide 2006	European foreign language study
Ashley 2009	Not able to extract or calculate absolute numbers of true positives, false positives, false negatives and true negatives
Aslan 2001	Participants were hospital inpatients
Assal 1999	Not rapid immunochromatographic tests
Avila 2002	Participants were travellers returning from an endemic to a non‐endemic region
Azazy 2004	Only participants with malaria positive blood films by microscopy received the RDT
Babacar 2008	Not a diagnostic test accuracy study
Bartoloni 1998	Single case study
Bassene 2009	Not a diagnostic test accuracy study
Bassett 1991	Not a diagnostic test accuracy study
Beadle 1994	Majority of participants did not have symptoms of malaria
Beg 2005	All participants were positive for malaria by microscopy
Belizario 2005	Participants were recruited by active case finding
Bell 2005	Not a consecutive sample: excluded a random sample of participants who were negative for malaria by microscopy
Bell 2006	Review or narrative
Bellagra 1998	Participants are travellers returning from an endemic to a non‐endemic area
Bendezu 2008	Not able to extract or calculate absolute numbers of true positives, false positives, false negatives and true negatives
Berens‐Riha 2009	Participants were dead
Bhandari 2008	All participants were positive for malaria by microscopy
Bhatt 1994	Review or narrative
Birku 1999	Participants had severe or complicated malaria
Bisoffi 2009	Not a diagnostic test accuracy study
Bisoffi 2009a	Review or narrative
Biswas 2004	Not a diagnostic test accuracy study
Biswas 2006	Not an immunochromatographic test
Bouchaud 2000	Participants were travellers returning from endemic to non‐endemic areas
Brenier‐Pinchart 2000	Participants were travellers returning from endemic to non‐endemic areas
Bruxvoort 2008	Participants were recruited by active case finding
Bualombai 2003	No usable data for P. falciparum malaria
Bualombai 2006	Eligibility unclear due to lack of published information
Buchachart 2004	Participants are hospital in‐patients
Bujanover 2002	Not a diagnostic test accuracy study
Cabezas 2004	Not a diagnostic test accuracy study (compares 'field' and laboratory RDT results)
Cavallo 1997	Participants are travellers returning from an endemic to a non‐endemic area
Chatterjee 2008	Eligibility unclear due to lack of published information
Cheng 2006	Review or narrative
Chilton 2006	Not a diagnostic test accuracy study
Chiodini 1998	Review or narrative
Chiodini 2005	Not a diagnostic test accuracy study
Cho 2001	Not undertaken in a malaria endemic area
Coleman 2002a	Majority of participants did not have symptoms of malaria
Coleman 2002b	Majority of participants did not have symptoms of malaria
Cong Le 2002	Article written in Russian only
Craig 1997	Tested blood films with artificially cultured and diluted malaria parasites
Craig 2002	The participants were positive for malaria by microscopy
Cropley 2000	Participants were travellers returning from endemic to non‐endemic areas
Cuadros 2007	Participants were travellers returning from endemic to non‐endemic areas
De Carsalade 2009	European foreign language study
De Dominguez 1996	Not a diagnostic test accuracy study
De Monbrison 2004	Participants were travellers returning from endemic to non‐endemic areas
Delaunay 2008	Review or narrative
Deletoille 1987	Participants are travellers returning from an endemic to a non‐endemic area
Di Perry 1997	All participants were positive for malaria by microscopy
Dietze 1995	Some participants did not have symptoms of malaria
Drakeley 2009	Review or narrative
Dubarry 1990	Not evaluating an immunochromatographic rapid diagnostic test
Durand 2005	Participants were travellers returning from endemic to non‐endemic areas
Durand 2005a	Review or narrative
Dyer 2000	All participants were positive for malaria by microscopy
Eisen 2000	Not undertaken in a malaria endemic area
El‐Moamly 2007	Participants were travellers returning from a malaria endemic to a non‐endemic area
Elmardi 2009	Not a diagnostic test accuracy study
Endeshaw 2008	Majority of participants did not have symptoms of malaria
Fan 2000	Written in Chinese only
Farcas 2003	Participants were travellers returning from endemic to non‐endemic areas
Farcas 2004	Not an immunochromatographic test
Ferro 2002	Participants were travellers returning from an endemic area to a non‐endemic area
Figueiredo 2003	All participants were positive for malaria by microscopy
Fogg 2008	No usable data for P. falciparum malaria
Fryauff 1997	Eligibility unclear due to lack of published information
Fryauff 2000	Participants did not have symptoms of malaria
Funk 1999	Participants were travellers returning from endemic to non‐endemic areas
Garavelli 2002	Participants were travellers returning from endemic to non‐endemic areas
Garcia 1996	Eligibility unclear due to lack of published information
Gatti 2002	Participants were travellers returning from endemic to non‐endemic areas
Gatti 2007	Participants were travellers returning from endemic to non‐endemic areas
Ghanchi 2009	Not a diagnostic test accuracy study
Gillet 2009 (a)	Participants were travellers returning from endemic to non‐endemic areas
Gillet 2009 (b)	Not a diagnostic test accuracy study
Gillet 2009 (c)	Participants were travellers returning from an endemic to a non‐endemic area
Gogtay 1999	Participants had severe or complicated malaria
Gogtay 2003	Participants were all positive for malaria by blood smear
Gonzales‐Ceron 2005	Evaluates P. vivax only
Grobusch 1999	Not undertaken in a malaria endemic area
Grobusch 2002	Not undertaken in a malaria endemic area
Grobusch 2003	Participants were travellers returning from endemic to non‐endemic areas
Grobusch 2003b	Participants were travellers returning from endemic to non‐endemic areas
Gupta 2001	Some participants had severe or complicated malaria
Gutierrez 2005	Not a diagnostic test accuracy study
Haditsch 2004	Review or narrative
Hance 2005	Review or narrative
Hanscheid 1999	Review or narrative
Happi 2004	All participants were positive for malaria by microscopy
Hashizume 2006	Participants were displaced persons from mainly very low endemicity areas
Hernandes 2001	Participants were travellers returning from endemic to non‐endemic areas
Holmberg 1992	Not a diagnostic test accuracy study
Hossain 2008	Participants had severe or complicated malaria
Houze 2009	All participants were positive for malaria by microscopy
Humar 1997	Participants were travellers returning from endemic to non‐endemic areas
Huong 2002	Not based on a consecutive sample; included a group malaria positive by microscopy, and an asymptomatic malaria negative control group
Iqbal 2000	Not a consecutive sample: participants were selected to have a high risk of rheumatoid factor
Iqbal 2001	Participants were travellers returning from endemic to non‐endemic areas
Iqbal 2002	Participants were travellers returning from endemic to non‐endemic areas
Iqbal 2004	All participants were positive for malaria by microscopy
Jelinek 1996	Does not evaluate an immunochromatographic rapid diagnostic test for malaria
Jelinek 1999	Participants were travellers returning from endemic to non‐endemic areas
Jelinek 2000	Participants were travellers returning from endemic to non‐endemic areas
Jelinek 2001	Participants were travellers returning from endemic to non‐endemic areas
Jeurissen 1999	Review or narrative
John 1998	All participants were positive for malaria by microscopy
Joshi 2004	Not evaluating an immunochromatographic rapid diagnostic test
Kaewsonthi 1996	Not a diagnostic test accuracy study
Kahama‐Maro 2008	Eligibility unclear due to lack of published information
Kakkilaya 2003	Review or narrative
Kamugisha 2008	Majority of participants did not have symptoms of malaria
Karbwang 1996	All participants were positive for malaria by microscopy
Kaur 2000	All participants had cerebral malaria
Kaushal 1995	Tested for P. knowlesi infection in monkeys
Kaushal 1997	Review or narrative
Kawai 2009	Tested for P. knowlesi infection in monkeys
Keating 2009	Majority of participants did not have symptoms of malaria
Khairnar 2009	Participants were travellers returning from an endemic to a non‐endemic area
Khan 2004	Participants were hospital inpatients
Kilian 1997	Not able to extract or calculate absolute numbers of true positives, false positives, false negatives and true negatives
Kim 2008	Includes a symptomatic group with malaria infection identified by microscopy, and an asymptomatic group with no malaria infection by microscopy
Knappik 2002	Participants were travellers returning from endemic to non‐endemic areas
Kodisinghe 1997	Some participants did not have symptoms of malaria
Kumar 2000	Participants were migrants from a very low endemicity area
Lee 1999	Some participants did not have symptoms of malaria
Lee 2008	Participants were soldiers usually residing in non‐endemic areas
Lema 1999	Some participants were attending for follow‐up of a previously diagnosed and treated case of malaria
Lepere 2004	Not a diagnostic test accuracy study
Lim 2001	Half the participants had malaria confirmed by microscopy before enrolment
Llanos Zavalaga 2000	Not a diagnostic test accuracy study
Llanos‐Zavalaga 2002	European foreign language study
Mahajan 2000	Participants were hospital inpatients
Makler 1998	Review or narrative
Makler 2009	Review or narrative
Malik 2004	Study was based at a tertiary referral centre with a high percentage of patients with complicated malaria
Mankhambo 2002	Majority of participants did not have symptoms of malaria
Mason 2002	Some participants did not have symptoms of malaria
Mayxay 2004	Not able to extract or calculate absolute numbers of true positives, false positives, false negatives and true negatives
McCutchan 2008	Review or narrative
Meena 2009	Participants were all hospital inpatients
Menan 1996	Not a study of rapid diagnostic tests
Mendoza 2007	Eligibility unclear due to lack of published information
Mengesha 1999	Not able to extract or calculate absolute numbers of true positives, false positives, false negatives and true negatives
Metzger 2008	Participants were recruited by active case finding
Mharakurwa 1997	Participants had all been recently treated for malaria
Miller 2001	Letter
Miller 2008	Not able to extract or calculate absolute numbers of true positives, false positives, false negatives and true negatives
Mills 1999	Participants were travellers returning from endemic to non‐endemic areas
Mills 2007	Eligibility unclear due to lack of published information
Mills 2009	Not a consecutive sample; selected HIV positive participants only
Minodier 2005	Review or narrative
Mishra 1999	Not a consecutive sample; comprised a malaria positive group by microscopy, and negative control groups
Mishra 2007	Eligibility unclear due to lack of published information
Mohanty 1999	Eligibility unclear due to lack of published information
Montoya 2008	European foreign language study
Moody 2000	Participants were travellers returning from endemic to non‐endemic areas
Moody 2002	Review or narrative
Moody 2002a	RDTs tested on artificially cultured blood samples
Moonasar 2007	Not a diagnostic test accuracy study
Moulin 2009	Review or narrative
Mueller 2007	Participants not representative of people presenting to ambulatory care setting with symptoms of malaria
Munier 2009	European foreign language study
Murray 2003	Review or narrative
Murray 2008	Review or narrative
Myjak 2004	Participants were travellers returning from endemic to non‐endemic areas
Naing 2002	No usable data for P. falciparum malaria
Nema 2004	All participants were positive for malaria by microscopy
Neumann 2008	Majority of participants did not have symptoms of malaria
Ochola 2006	Review or narrative
OMS 1999	Not a diagnostic test accuracy study
Onile 2005	Review or narrative
Ozbilge 2006	Not an immunochromatographic test
Pabon 2007	European foreign language study
Palmer 1998	Eligibility unclear due to lack of published information
Palmer 1999	All participants were positive for malaria by microscopy
Palmer 2003	Participants were travellers returning from endemic to non‐endemic areas
Pammenter 1988	Review or narrative
Pandey 1995	Review or narrative
Park 2003	Not a consecutive sample; included a known malaria group and negative control group by microscopy
Park 2006	Written in Korean only
Parra 1991	Not a diagnostic test accuracy study
Penhalbel 2005	Not a consecutive sample; included a known malaria group and negative control group by microscopy
Perez 2007	Review or narrative
Peyron 1999	Review or narrative
Pica 2005	Review or narrative
Pieroni 1998	Participants were travellers returning from endemic to non‐endemic areas
Pinto 1999	All participants had previously tested negative for malaria and had symptoms that meant complicated malaria could not be ruled out
Piper 1999	Half the participants lived in non‐endemic areas
Pividal 1994	Not a diagnostic test accuracy study (blood samples from one patient were serially diluted and tested)
Planche 2001	Review or narrative
Playford 2002	Participants were travellers returning from endemic to non‐endemic areas
Popov 2000	Written in Russian only
Popov 2004	Written in Russian only
Premji 1994	Participants did not have symptoms of malaria
Prou 1988	Not an immunochromatographic test
Proux 2001	Majority of participants did not have symptoms of malaria
Quintana 1998	Eligibility unclear due to lack of published information
Rabinovich 2006	Written in Russian only
Radrianasolo 2007	European foreign language study
Rahim 2002	All participants were positive for malaria by microscopy
Rajendran 2006	Eligibility unclear due to lack of published information
Ratnawati 2008	Many participants were recruited by active case finding
Rehlis 2004	Written in Polish only
Reyburn 2007	Not a diagnostic test accuracy study
Ricci 2000	Participants were travellers returning from endemic to non‐endemic areas
Richardson 2002	Participants were travellers returning from endemic to non‐endemic areas
Richter 2004	Review or narrative
Richter 2004a	Participants were travellers returning from endemic to non‐endemic areas
Roche 1995	Not an immunochromatographic test
Rodriguez‐Iglesias 2005	Review or narrative
Rodulfo 2007	Some of the participants did not have symptoms of malaria
Rolland 2006	Not a diagnostic test accuracy study
Rubio 2001	Participants were travellers returning from endemic to non‐endemic areas
Ryan 2002	Not a diagnostic test accuracy study
Samal 1998	Not an immunochromatographic test
Saranya 2003	Review or narrative
Schmidt 2003	Review or narrative
Seidahmed 2008	Not a diagnostic test accuracy study
Sezibera 2009	Not a diagnostic test accuracy study
Shah 2004	All participants were positive for malaria by microscopy
Shamsi 1999	Eligibility unclear due to lack of published information
Sharma 2008	Some participants did not have symptoms of malaria
She 2007	Not undertaken in a malaria endemic area
Shenoi 1996	Eligibility unclear due to lack of published information
Shiff 1993	Some participants did not have symptoms of malaria
Shillcutt 2008	Not a diagnostic test accuracy study
Shirayama 2008	Not a diagnostic test accuracy study
Shujatullah 2006	Participants had severe or complicated malaria
Shujatullah 2009	Participants were hospital inpatients
Singer 2004	Majority of participants did not have symptoms of malaria
Singh 2000 (b)	Some participants did not have symptoms of malaria
Singh 2001	Participants were recruited by active case finding
Singh 2002	Majority of participants did not have symptoms of malaria
Singh 2002(b)	All participants were positive for malaria by microscopy
Singh 2004	Participants had severe or complicated malaria
Singh 2005 (a)	Majority of participants did not have symptoms of malaria
Singh 2005 (b)	Not able to extract or calculate absolute numbers of true positives, false positives, false negatives and true negatives
Singh 2005c	Some participants did not have symptoms of malaria
Singh 2007	Majority of participants did not have symptoms of malaria
Skarbinski 2009	Not a diagnostic test accuracy study
Smego 2000	Review or narrative
Sotimehin 2007	Majority of participants did not have symptoms of malaria
Srinivasan 2000	Participants were travellers returning from endemic to non‐endemic areas
Stauffer 2005	Participants were refugees from an endemic to a non‐endemic country
Stauffer 2006	Participants were travellers returning from endemic to non‐endemic areas
Stauffer 2009	Participants were all travellers returning from an endemic to a non‐endemic area
Sturenburg 2009	Review or narrative
Susi 2005	Participants were all travellers returning from an endemic to a non‐endemic area
Swarthout 2007	All participants were positive for malaria by microscopy
Tagbor 2008	Majority of participants did not have symptoms of malaria
Tarazona 2004	Not able to extract or calculate absolute numbers of true positives, false positives, false negatives and true negatives
Tarimo 1999	Not able to extract or calculate absolute numbers of true positives, false positives, false negatives and true negatives
Tarimo 2001	Not able to extract or calculate absolute numbers of true positives, false positives, false negatives and true negatives
Taylor 2002	All participants were positive for malaria by microscopy
Tham 1999	Participants were all travellers returning from an endemic to a non‐endemic area
Thepsamarn 1997	All participants were positive for malaria by microscopy
Tietche 1996	Not a diagnostic test accuracy study (study of the probability of malaria in febrile children)
Tjitra 2001a	All participants were positive for malaria by microscopy
Tjitra 2001b	All participants were positive for malaria by microscopy
Trachsler 1999	Not a diagnostic test accuracy study
Uguen 1995	Participants were travellers returning from endemic to non‐endemic areas
Uneke 2008	Not a diagnostic test accuracy study
Uneke 2008a	Review or narrative
Uzuchukwu 2009	No usable data for P. falciparum malaria
Valea 2009	No usable data for P. falciparum malaria
Valecha 1998	Eligibility unclear due to lack of published information
Valecha 2002	Participants were recruited by active case finding
Van den Ende 1998	Participants were travellers returning from endemic to non‐endemic areas
Van der Palen 2009	Participants were travellers returning from endemic to non‐endemic areas
Van Dijk 2009	Participants are travellers returning from an endemic to a non‐endemic area
Van Hellemond 2009	Not a diagnostic test accuracy study
VanderJagt 2005	Majority of participants had no symptoms of malaria
Venkatesh 2007	Participants had severe or complicated malaria
Voller 1993	Review or narrative
Waltz 2007	Review or narrative
Wang J‐Y 2007	Not a commercial test kit
Wanji 2008	Participants did not have symptoms of malaria
WHO 1996	Review or narrative
Wiese 2006	Participants were travellers returning from endemic to non‐endemic areas
Williams 2008	Not a diagnostic test accuracy study
Win 2001	Review or narrative
Wongsrichanalai 2001	Review or narrative
Wongsrichanalai 2007	Review or narrative
Wu 2005	Not an immunochromatographic rapid diagnostic test kit
Yavo 2002	European foreign language study
Zakai 2003	Review or narrative
Zerpa 2007	Not able to extract or calculate absolute numbers of true positives, false positives, false negatives and true negatives
Zheng 1999	Written in Chinese only
Zhu 1998	Written in Chinese only
Zikusooka 2008	Not a diagnostic test accuracy study
Zurovac 2008	Not a diagnostic test accuracy study