Secondary Speckle Sensing Microscopy (S3M). The difference between an infected red blood cell (top) and a healthy cell (bottom) is revealed by S3M, in part, by considering the dynamics of the correlation value (CV). CV indicates the similarity between two patterns. 1,000 CVs are calculated from pairs of consecutive speckles acquired in 1 second. As shown in the chart at right, the CV oscillation range for the infected cell (top, 0.36) is almost three times larger than that of the healthy red blood cell (bottom, 0.13). In the top left image of the infected cell a parasitic life-cycle stage of malaria, called “trophozoite,” can be seen (arrow). Credit: Dan Cojoc, Materials Technology Institute, National Research Council, Italy.
Correctly and quickly diagnosing malaria is essential for effective and life-saving treatment. But rapid detection, particularly in remote areas, is not always possible because current methods are time-consuming and require precise instrumentation and highly skilled microscopic analysis.
Now, a promising new optical imaging system, described in a paper published today in the Optical Society’s (OSA) open-access journal Biomedical Optics Express, may make the diagnosis of this deadly disease much easier, faster, and more accurate. [Read more…]