Diagnosing malaria with a microscope is not easy . Not only time consuming , but a lot of practice is needed . A German research team has created a machine that can help .
Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits has developed a prototype of an automated microscope system for diagnosing malaria . A white box containing a microscope connected to a computer , and all medical assistants have to do is to introduce the cartridge with ten slides .It is difficult to diagnose malaria by microscopyTo determine whether a patient has malaria , doctors apply a drop of blood to a microscope slide , color with chemicals and then took a close look through the microscope .The researchers developed a machine to help simplify malaria microscopyTo test the blood sample as a whole , the board is attached to a microscope slide moves to the side , and up and down . Automated microscope will focus on target areas . A camera takes a picture of what can be seen through the microscope and store them on the computer . Using the algorithm , the software will look for a picture for a typical feature for the malaria parasite .Diagnosis is based on the digital image can even be done by an expert in other countries .
A drop of blood on a microscope slide will reveal whether the child has contracted malariaThere is no malaria expert enough to diagnose malaria , especially in Europe and the United States ,Several companies are developing similar systems as Reimann and his team are working on ,
, The microscope has got some limitations when it comes to diagnosing malaria . There must be quite a lot of parasites in one milliliter of blood to be seen under a microscope . A machine is only going to read a blood sample slides will not automatically fix the method itself .Other malaria experts acknowledge that such a system would indeed be a good idea for use in clinical trials because the system will treat all blood samples in the same way . The results will not depend on the people who worked on that day .
Point-of - care tests detect substances that produce malaria parasiteCheap and easy to use alternativeIt is not likely that the automated microscope system will take in Africa because there is no alternative ,Small plastic lines , point-of - care testing , can also be used to diagnose malaria . They are similar to a home pregnancy test . With a drop of blood , the test can reveal whether a patient suffering from malaria in a few minutes . Tests detect substances that produce malaria parasite .Disposable point-of - care tests are reasonably priced . They only cost about 30 to 40 cents . And they are very easy to use .Doctors Without Borders is almost entirely dependent on the point-of - care testing for malaria . It almost never use the microscope ." The sensitivity of the test is somewhat lower than the microscope . You can get a negative result when malaria is still at the beginning and parasites in the blood concentration is not too high . Out of 100 patients suffering from malaria , an average of five will get a negative test result , "










