Malaria – Serology
Consistent with O. Reg. 671/92 of the French Language Services Act, laboratory testing information on this page is only available in English because it is scientific or technical in nature and is for use only by qualified health care providers and not by members of the public.
Testing Indications
This test is to determine previous exposure to Plasmodium spp. and should not be ordered to diagnose a suspected malaria infection. If an acute infection with Plasmodium spp., that cause malaria, is suspected, refer to the test information sheet Malaria – Microscopy and PCR for specimen collection and testing information.
Specimen Requirements
| Test Requested | Required Requisition(s) | Specimen Type | Minimum Volume | Collection Kit |
Malaria serology, or Plasmodium falciparum serology, or Plasmodium vivax serology |
Blood or serum |
5.0 ml blood or 1.0 ml serum |
Blood, clotted - vacutainer tubes (SST) |
Limitations
Haemolysed, icteric, lipemic or microbially contaminated sera or plasma are not recommended for testing.
Storage and Transport
Label the specimen container with the patient’s full name, date of collection and one other unique identifier such as the patient’s date of birth or Health Card Number. Failure to provide this information may result in rejection or testing delay.
Special Instructions
Centrifuge if using SST. Place specimen in biohazard bag and seal.
Test Frequency and Turnaround Time (TAT)
Malaria serology is a Referred Out Test. Samples are sent to the National Reference Centre for Parasitology (NRCP) in Montreal.
Turnaround time is up to 42 days from receipt by PHO laboratory.
Malaria serology test is performed by Indirect Immunofluorescence assay (IFA).
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