Thick Blood. Thin Smear

Indications:

The examination can detect the presence in the blood of malaria parasite: Plasmodium.

Principle:

The realization of a thick film can concentrate the maximum noise in the minimum surface and therefore easier to detect.

Technique:

Levy vaccinostyle a large drop of blood from the fingertip.

Placed on a slide, gout is fragmented by stirring with vaccinostyle for a minute.

To expedite the review, you can practice a cytocentrifugation after hemolysis: the result is available within 1 h.

Results:

Red cells have disappeared, parasites appear more easily.

If the thick smear examination is best known for the emergency diagnosis of malaria, the thin film gives better results, faster pus:

– And it determines the type of Plasmodium: falciparum, malariae, ovale and vivax;

– We can calculate parasitaemia: more than 3%, it is considered dangerous (this is the number of parasites per 100 leukocytes).

The thick film also diagnose filariasis in blood wired microphone.

If in doubt about a malaria attack with smear-negative, it is necessary to do it again, to start treatment without, however, wait for results.

Cost:

B100 with thin smear.

Practical advice:

In case of thin film application, it should be noted at the laboratory taking any antimalarial that may affect the parasitic forms.