Molecular identification of Plasmodium

Aim of the PT:  Molecular identification of Plasmodium species.

Who can participate to the PT: All the laboratories belonging to the EVD-Net (European Emerging and Vector-borne Diseases Network) coordinated by ECDC.

Procedure to analyze the PT items: The PT panel will be composed of four items, either containing DNA from two different Plasmodium species (P. falciparum and P. vivax) or containing DNA from a non-Plasmodium species. Each laboratory should test the panels using the extraction and amplification methods that it routinely uses for testing clinical or research study samples.

Criteria for the result evaluation: results evaluation is only qualitative. The result for each PT item is considered correct if the participant correctly identifies the Plasmodium species present or correctly reports no Plasmodium species in the PT item containing Toxoplasma gondii DNA.

If the PTP person in charge determines that the items distributed to participants or the data obtained are not suitable for performance evaluation, the participants will be notified immediately. The current scheme will be canceled, and a new one will be organized as soon as the issues causing the unsuitability are resolved