AimThe aim was to assess the flagging performance of Sysmex XN-10 haematology analyser for malaria detection through the parasitic red blood cell (‘pRBC’) alarm.MethodsWe retrospectively studied 584 blood samples performed on the Sysmex XN-10 analyser that were tested for malaria. Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values, and prevalence were established for the pRBC alarm.ResultsSensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values for the pRBC flag were 7.8%, 100%, 100% and 87.7%, respectively. The prevalence of pRBC flag of 0.026% in the overall population was significantly different from the prevalence of 1.027% in the population tested for malaria.ConclusionsConsidering the excellent specificity and the low prevalence of the flag in the overall population, we suggest, in case of the presence of pRBC flag, the implementation of a rapid review of the blood smear looking for Plasmodium, mostly if the patient had fever and had not been tested for malaria.
Low prevalence red blood cell antigens: transfusions, babies, and changing demographics