Abstract
A semi-automated method uses a 720 System 25 Image Analyzer interfaced with a standard laboratory microscope to evaluate Plasmodium falciparum malaria infected erythrocytes. Thin blood smears of P. falciparum-infected red blood cells grown in vitro and stained with Giemsa Stain are observed using a 100X oil immersion objective. The images are transferred to the system CRT for further analysis. Ring, trophozoite and schizont stages of the parasite life cycle can be recognized. Calculated infected and total cell numbers are stored on file within the PDP 11/04 computer system. Final percentages of parasite-infected erythrocytes are calculated using a separate software program which compensates for multiple infected cells. Comparisons between semi-automated image analysis and the manual microscopical counts show no statistically significant differences between the two methods (p. = 0.489). Use of image analysis allows rapid enumeration of parasite-infected red blood cells and minimizes variability due to fatigue, operator subjectivity and manual data collection.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 43-56 |
| Number of pages | 14 |
| Journal | Microscope |
| Volume | 33 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| State | Published - Jan 1 1985 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Anatomy