EFFICACY AND LIMITATIONS OF QBC ACRIDINE-ORANGE STAINING AS A ROUTINEDIAGNOSTIC-TECHNIQUE FOR MALARIA IN DEVELOPING-COUNTRIES

The recently developed QBC technique has been reported to be rapid, se nsitive and specific for the detection of malaria infection. We evalua ted this technique in comparison with thin and thick Giemsa stained bl ood films for the diagnosis of malaria in acute fever and PUO cases. T he technique was slightly more sensitive than thin blood film but equa l to thick blood film examination. Identification of species of malari a posed some difficulties. Due to its high cost and requirement for a fluorescent microscope this technique, in spite of its speed and sensi tivity, may not have the potential to be a substitute for the conventi onal blood film examination for the diagnosis of malaria, especially i n developing countries.