Dakić, Zorica (35186070500)Zorica (35186070500)DakićIvović, Vladimir (6508290806)Vladimir (6508290806)IvovićPavlović, Milorad (7202542036)Milorad (7202542036)PavlovićLavadinović, Lidija (22941135800)Lidija (22941135800)LavadinovićMarković, Marija (36098227600)Marija (36098227600)MarkovićDjurković-Djaković, Olgica (6701811845)Olgica (6701811845)Djurković-Djaković2025-06-122025-06-122014https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijid.2014.08.013https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84910097459&doi=10.1016%2fj.ijid.2014.08.013&partnerID=40&md5=77f4bc0273a0d2d400b562c963685b65https://remedy.med.bg.ac.rs/handle/123456789/8463Objectives: The goal of this study was to assess the clinical significance of conventional and PCR-based molecular diagnosis in patients with imported malaria in Serbia. Methods: Giemsa microscopy, the rapid diagnostic test, and quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) were used to detect Plasmodium species in 109 whole-blood samples from patients after their return from malaria endemic areas, including those clinically suspected for malaria (. n=. 97) and healthy travelers (. n=. 12) examined as part of epidemiological surveillance. Results: A total of 45 patients were diagnosed with malaria: 42 (93.3%) by microscopy and three (6.7%) additional ones by qPCR. The agreement between the results of species-specific qPCR and microscopy was 73.3%; it was as high as 90.6% for Plasmodium falciparum infections. Follow-up analysis demonstrated persistence of Plasmodium sp DNA for a mean 6 days after the disappearance of parasitemia on microscopy. Conclusions: Due to its sensitivity and specificity, qPCR is a helpful method complementary to microscopy, particularly in cases of low parasitemia. In addition, it is superior to microscopy for species identification. © 2014.DiagnosisMalariaMicroscopyParasitemiaPlasmodium speciesQuantitative real-time PCR