Parasites are living things that use other living things - like your body - for food and
a place to live. You can get them from contaminated food or water, a bug bite, or sexual
contact. Parasitic infections are responsible for substantial morbidity and
mortality worldwide. They are prevalent in Central and South America,
Africa, and Asia. Many are spread through fecal contamination of food
or water and are most frequent in impoverished areas where sanitation
and hygiene are poor.
Some parasites, such as the hookworm, can enter the skin during contact with infected dirt or, in the case of schistosomes, with freshwater. Others, such as malaria, are transmitted by arthropod vectors. Rarely, parasites may be transmitted via blood transfusions or shared needles or congenitally from mother to fetus.
Classic examples of parasites are tapeworms, protozoa and amoebae. Goldcrest Polychem's product line includes Real Time PCRs and rapid immunoassay tests for the most common parasites with human pathogenicity.
Focus on Malaria
Malaria is caused by a parasite called Plasmodium, which is transmitted via the bites of infected mosquitoes. In the human body, the parasites multiply in the liver, and then infect red blood cells. Symptoms of malaria include fever, headache, and vomiting, and usually appear between 10 and 15 days after the mosquito bite. If not treated, malaria can quickly become life-threatening by disrupting the blood supply to vital organs. In many parts of the world, the parasites have developed resistance to a number of malaria medicines.
There are four kinds of malaria that can infect humans: Plasmodium falciparum, P. vivax, P. ovale, and P. malariae. P. falciparum accounts for the majority of infections and is the most lethal. P. vivax, P. malariae and P. ovale cause a less severe form of malaria with intermittent fever which is usually neither debilitating nor fatal. In humans, the parasites migrate to the liver where they mature and release another form, the merozoites. The disease now occurs in more than 90 countries worldwide, and it is estimated that there are over 500 million clinical cases and 2.7 million malaria-caused deaths every year. Therefore, the early detection of malaria is of great importance due to rising levels of drug resistance now being associated with this disease.
The Malaria Pf/Pv Antigen Rapid Test is a lateral flow immunoassay for the detection of Malaria infection in human serum, plasma or whole blood, indicating differential diagnosis between P.f HRP-II (Plasmodium falciparum, histidine-rich protein II) and pLDH (Plasmodium lactate dehydrogenase) specific to Plasmodium vivax.
Some parasites, such as the hookworm, can enter the skin during contact with infected dirt or, in the case of schistosomes, with freshwater. Others, such as malaria, are transmitted by arthropod vectors. Rarely, parasites may be transmitted via blood transfusions or shared needles or congenitally from mother to fetus.
Classic examples of parasites are tapeworms, protozoa and amoebae. Goldcrest Polychem's product line includes Real Time PCRs and rapid immunoassay tests for the most common parasites with human pathogenicity.
Focus on Malaria
Malaria is caused by a parasite called Plasmodium, which is transmitted via the bites of infected mosquitoes. In the human body, the parasites multiply in the liver, and then infect red blood cells. Symptoms of malaria include fever, headache, and vomiting, and usually appear between 10 and 15 days after the mosquito bite. If not treated, malaria can quickly become life-threatening by disrupting the blood supply to vital organs. In many parts of the world, the parasites have developed resistance to a number of malaria medicines.
There are four kinds of malaria that can infect humans: Plasmodium falciparum, P. vivax, P. ovale, and P. malariae. P. falciparum accounts for the majority of infections and is the most lethal. P. vivax, P. malariae and P. ovale cause a less severe form of malaria with intermittent fever which is usually neither debilitating nor fatal. In humans, the parasites migrate to the liver where they mature and release another form, the merozoites. The disease now occurs in more than 90 countries worldwide, and it is estimated that there are over 500 million clinical cases and 2.7 million malaria-caused deaths every year. Therefore, the early detection of malaria is of great importance due to rising levels of drug resistance now being associated with this disease.
The Malaria Pf/Pv Antigen Rapid Test is a lateral flow immunoassay for the detection of Malaria infection in human serum, plasma or whole blood, indicating differential diagnosis between P.f HRP-II (Plasmodium falciparum, histidine-rich protein II) and pLDH (Plasmodium lactate dehydrogenase) specific to Plasmodium vivax.