Malaria-Infected Red Blood Cell Analysis through Optical and Biochemical Parameters Using the Transport of Intensity Equation and the Microscope’s Optical Properties

Abstract

The accuracy, reliability, speed and cost of the methods used for malaria diagnosis are key to the diseases’ treatment and eventual eradication. However, improvement in any one of these requirements can lead to deterioration of the rest due to their interdependence. We propose an optical method that provides fast detection of malaria-infected red blood cells (RBCs) at a lower cost. The method is based on the combination of deconvolution, topography and three-dimensional (3D) refractive index reconstruction of the malaria-infected RBCs by use of the transport of intensity equation. Using our method, healthy RBCs were identified by their biconcave shape, quasi-uniform spatial distribution of their refractive indices and quasi-uniform concentration of hemoglobin. The values of these optical and biochemical parameters were found to be in agreement with the values reported in the literature. Results for the malaria-infected RBCs were significantly different from those of the healthy RBCs. The topography of the cells and their optical and biochemical parameters enabled identification of their stages of infection. This work introduces a significant method of analyzing malaria-infected RBCs at a lower cost and without the use of fluorescent labels for the parasites.

Sensing and Detection Capabilities of One-Dimensional Defective Photonic Crystal Suitable for Malaria Infection Diagnosis from Preliminary to Advanced Stage: Theoretical Study

“…Hence, if RBCs are healthy, it means the flow of O 2 and CO 2 inside body is perfect. For healthy RBCs, the range of hemoglobin concentration of cell A should be between 28 g/dL and 36 g/dL, which corresponds to refractive index values between 1.402 and 1.409, respectively [28]. If someone is bitten by the female Anopheles mosquito, parasites enter into the body and reach the RBCs through the liver.…”

“…Moreover, the presence of parasites into the cells also decreases both the hemoglobin concentration and refractive index value of that cell. Therefore, the presence of parasites within the various cells is ensured by the region having a low refractive index [28][29][30]. This is the first stage of malaria infection and is called the ring stage.…”

“…According to the World Health Organization (WHO), around 405,000 casualties out of 228 million malaria cases were reported in 2018 worldwide [27]. If someone is bitten by female anopheles mosquito protozoan, parasites enter into the red blood cells of the human body through the liver [28]. The presence of protozoan parasites in the RBCs results in structural and biological change in RBCs.…”

A Hybrid Continuum-Particle Approach for Fluid-Structure Interaction Simulation of Red Blood Cells in Fluid Flows

“…From a mechanical standpoint, these special cells (or capsules) are deformable bodies, which are immersed in a flowing fluid. Investigating the dynamics of these cells can be useful for many engineering applications such as the detection of malaria infection [10], cell sorting/separation [11], drug delivery [12], and design of devices for blood fractionation [13]. Modeling the dynamics of these special cells in fluid flow is the focus of the current work.…”

Photonic crystal-based biosensor for detection of human red blood cells parasitized by plasmodium falciparum

“…Later, trophozoites transform into multinucleated cells called schizonts, which are formed by the breakdown of hemoglobin and the production of hemozoin (Liu et al 2016). In the intraerythrocytic cycle, infected erythrocytes show a heterogeneous distribution of refractive index throughout the cytoplasm of the cell, while healthy erythrocytes have a homogeneous refractive index distribution (Akpa Marcel et al 2019). This significant refractive index difference between healthy and infected red blood cells can be used as an essential parameter for the diagnosis of malaria (Bendib and Bendib 2018).…”