Evaluation of a Rapid Diagnostic Test Currently Being Used in the Management of Malaria in Patients of the Hia/Chu-Parakou and the Boko Zone Hospital in Northern Benin

Parasitological diagnosis is a fundamental element in the adequate management of the disease. In the last decade, there has been a resurgence of interest in the development of malaria Rapid Diagnostic Test (RDT) kits. This is the case with SD Bioline Malaria Ag Pf, which searches for HRP2 antigen by immunochromatography. The objective of this study is to compare the results of RDT SD Bioline Malaria Ag Pf in use with the results of Thick Gout (TG) in the biological diagnosis of malaria. This was a cross-sectional, descriptive and evaluative study carried out at the Hôpital d’Instruction des Armées-Center Hospitalier et Universitaire de Parakou and at the Boko zone hospital from April 20 to July 30, 2015. Patient identification, we used the non-probabilistic method and the convenience choice technique. The study involved 503 patients. The results of this study showed a good performance of the RDT SD Bioline Malaria Ag Pf. Among the 503 patients, 199 or 39.6% were positive for the RDT against 180 or 35.8% positive for the Thick Gout (TG). Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values of the test compared to the thick film were respectively (91.7%, 89.5%, 82.9, 95) and the Kappa coefficient of 0.88 testifies a good match. False positive cases are noted in patients on treatment and even after recovery due to the persistence of the HRP2 antigen in the blood. However, it constitutes an interesting alternative to the management of malaria. At the end of this study, we suggest continuing the use of RDTs in health centers where microscopy is absent and/or reinforcing microscopy, and to strengthen staff training in the management of malaria cases.