View source for Parasitemia

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'''Parasitemia''' is the quantitative content of [[parasite]]s in the [[blood]].<ref>{{DorlandsDict|six/000078621|parasitemia}}</ref> It is used as a measurement of parasite load in the organism and an indication of the degree of an active [[parasitic disease|parasitic infection]]. Systematic measurement of parasitemia is important in many phases of the assessment of disease, such as in [[diagnosis]] and in the follow-up of therapy, particularly in the chronic phase, when cure depends on ascertaining a parasitemia of zero.

The methods to be used for quantifying parasitemia depends on the parasitic species and its life cycle. For instance, in [[malaria]], the number of blood-stage parasites can be counted using an [[optical microscope]], on a special thick film (for low parasitemias) or thin film blood smear (for high parasitemias).

The use of [[molecular biology]] techniques, such as [[Polymerase chain reaction|PCR]] has been used increasingly as a tool to measure parasitemia, especially in patients in the [[chronic (medicine)|chronic]] phase of disease. In this technique, blood samples are obtained from the patient, and specific DNA of the parasite is extracted and amplified by PCR.

==References==
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== External links ==
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{{Infectious blood tests}}

[[Category:Parasitology]]
[[Category:Abnormal clinical and laboratory findings for blood]]


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