Thick vs Thin film comparison
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Relative merits of thick or thin films in malaria diagnosis
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Thin film appearances P.falciparum
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Thick film appearances P.falciparum
| 1. Sensitivity for detection |
|---|
| Thick film: Higher - can detect lower levels of parasitaemia ~5–10 parasites/µL |
| Thin film: Lower - generally requires ~50 parasites/µL for reliable detection |
| 2. Species Identification |
| Poor: poor - red cell morphology is lost and species-specific features may not be seen |
| Thin film: Good - both parasite morphology and RBC characteristics are assessed |
| 3. Quantification of parasite number |
| Difficult: red cells are not seen so requires estimation and is therefore imprecise |
| Easier: parasites can be counted counted directly and assessed as a proportion of red cells |
| 4. Preparation and staining considerations |
| Less easy: requires air drying and careful spreading and staining to minimise any artefact |
| Easier: films are fixed and stained immediately with clearer morphology of parasites and red cells |