Detection of Plasmodium falciparum or Trypanosome infection with ultrasound-based separation of red blood cells (RBCs) An ultrasound-based separation technique could help detect low levels of parasitemia. The densities of RBCs infected with P. falciparum are known to be lower than those of uninfected RBCs. A handheld device was constructed that exposed a human blood droplet to ultrasonic waves to induce density-based separation of infected RBCs and allow for sample extraction for microscopic

more »

... lysis. Compared with no separation, the technique increased infected cell levels in samples by over 100-fold and enabled detection of Trypanosoma cyclops and the ring stage of P. falciparum at levels corresponding to 6 parasites/mL and 25 parasites/mL. Ongoing work includes optimizing the technology for P. falciparum detection.