Evaluation of Automated Hematology Analyzer (DXH 800) Flags in Detection of Plasmodium vivax: A Comparative Study with Peripheral Blood Smear

Abstract

Malaria remains a major parasitic disease in endemic regions. Peripheral blood smear (PBS) examination is the gold standard for diagnosis; however, it is time-consuming and observer dependent. Automated hematology analyzers such as DXH 800 provide rapid screening and generate abnormal flags that may indicate malaria (World Health Organization et al. [1]). This study evaluates 50 confirmed cases of Plasmodium vivax and correlates analyzer findings with PBS. All cases showed analyzer flag positivity. One case initially missed on smear was later detected after analyzer alert. The study emphasizes the importance of automated systems as adjunct tools in malaria, detection.