BREATH TEST FOR MALARIA COULD OFFER FASTER DETECTION

Australian Institute Stumbles Upon New Method for Detecting Malaria

In the past we have seen “breathalysers” for the fast detection of lung cancer and TB enter trials, now Australian researchers at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) are working on a test that can detect malaria via chemicals in the breath of sufferers. While working on a study to develop new treatments for malaria, “the scientists observed heightened levels of a number of chemicals (in infected volunteers) that are normally almost undetectable.” These chemicals centred around four sulphur-containing compounds that had never previously been associated with any particular disease. The researchers were able to track fluctuations in the level of these compounds over a period of time that corresponded to severity of the malaria infection.

The compounds disappeared once the patient was cured, but it was more the fact that the compounds were present right at the beginning of infection, that interested the Australian team. “What is exciting is that the increase in these chemicals were present at very early stages of infection, when many other methods would have been unable to detect the parasite in the body of people infected with malaria,” said Dr Stephen Trowell, Research Group Leader at CSIRO. “Now we are collaborating with researchers in regions where malaria is endemic, to test whether the same chemicals can be found in the breath of patients.”